Every spring and fall, Josh Sirlin rides Kyushu with friends he has known for ten years, on vintage bikes from Freeway in Oita, a shop open since 1986. Hot springs, the Yamanami Highway, and horsehide.

Culture, Japan, Japan & Culture, Motorcycles, travelJosh SirlinOctober 8, 2026kyushu motorcycle trip, oita japan, freeway oita, vintage harley japan, japanese custom motorcycles, yamanami highway, beppu, leathertogs 1933, josh sirlin, black bear brandComment

The Jacket on the Screen: Movie Stars and the Clothes That Stayed

Brando, Dean, and McQueen made a few pieces of clothing immortal. Josh Sirlin on film style and the stars who wear the Black Bear Brand Rough-RIDER commander jacket now.

Culture, jackets, leather, StyleJosh SirlinOctober 7, 2026movie star style, brando leather jacket, james dean style, steve mcqueen style, robert patrick, commander jacket, roughout leather jacket, horsehide jacket, celebrity style, black bear brandComment

Leadership Is Standing Next to the Best

Shackleton brought every man home. A chain stitch artist has given twenty five years to one craft. Josh Sirlin on leadership, craftsmanship, and the ART Edition varsity jacket.

The Clear-Headed Generation

Only 54 percent of Americans drink, a Gallup record low. Josh Sirlin on choosing sobriety, clear mornings, the details a clear head sees, and the waffle knit thermal henley.

Culture, menswear, StyleJosh SirlinOctober 5, 2026sobriety, sober curious, sober men, alcohol free lifestyle, gallup drinking poll, dry january, clarity, morning routine, thermal henley, josh sirlinComment

Athletes Who Could Wear Anything

AJ Barner caught the first touchdown of Super Bowl LX. Jagger Eaton holds two Olympic medals. Josh Sirlin on athletes, fitness, movement, and the INFORMAL Pant.

Culture, menswear, StyleJosh SirlinOctober 4, 2026aj barner, jagger eaton, super bowl lx, olympic skateboarding, athlete style, fitness, exercise, skate pants, informal pant, black bear brandComment

The Cowboy Never Left: Western Style Then and Now

The cattle drives lasted about twenty years. The style has lasted a hundred and fifty. Josh Sirlin on vaqueros, Black cowboys, Yellowstone, and the Indigo Cowboy Jeans.

Denim, Heritage, Culture, Style & HeritageJosh SirlinOctober 3, 2026cowboy fashion, western style, cowboy history, vaquero, black cowboys, yellowstone style, cowboy jeans, commander jacket, roughout jacket, black bear brandComment

The Name Was Waiting: Josh Sirlin on Bringing Back Black Bear Brand

A Seattle name from the turn of the twentieth century had gone quiet. Thirteen years ago Josh Sirlin brought it back. The story, the method, and the Original LOGO T.

Culture, Heritage, StyleJosh SirlinOctober 2, 2026josh sirlin, black bear brand history, george g black, seattle brand, brand revival, black bear means long wear, american brand, black bear brand japan, original logo tComment

Black Bear Brand Opens in Tokyo: Our First Pop Up in Japan

Friday the doors open on the first Black Bear Brand pop up in Japan. Three days in Tokyo, the vintage engineer pant and coat in person for the first time, and a COMMANDER roughout jacket sold only in the room. Josh Sirlin on why it had to be Tokyo.

Culture, events, Heritage, JapanJosh SirlinOctober 1, 2026black bear brand pop up, tokyo pop up, ebisu, black bear brand japan, josh sirlin, vintage engineer pant, hunter green peacoat, commander jacket, roughout jacket, ichirotaComment

Twice a Year in Okayama

Denim is decided in the room, with the cloth in your hands. Josh Sirlin on his twice yearly denim meetings in Okayama: the rope dye house, the shuttle looms, and the sewing room.

adventure, Culture, Denim, Japan, Japan & Culture, travelJosh SirlinSeptember 28, 2026okayama denim, josh sirlin, japanese selvedge denim, rope dyeing, shinpaku, shuttle loom, botanical indigo jeans, denim mill, black bear brandComment

The Fisherman Sweater: A True Story Better Than the Legend

The clan pattern legend is not true. What really happened is better. Josh Sirlin on the Aran sweater, why wool owns the cold, and a merino fisherman sweater knit in northern Japan.

Craft, Culture, Heritage, StyleJosh SirlinSeptember 27, 2026fisherman sweater, aran sweater history, cable knit sweater, merino wool sweater, winter fashion men, winter style, knit in japan, josh sirlin, black bear brandComment

Midnight Glen

The glen check came out of one Scottish valley in the 1840s and never left. Josh Sirlin on the pattern, and on the Midnight Glen Tartan Harris Tweed coming to Black Bear Brand.

Craft & Materials, Culture, Fabric, Fabric Guide, harris tweed, Heritage, JacketsJosh SirlinSeptember 26, 2026glen check, glen plaid, glenurquhart check, prince of wales check, midnight glen tartan, harris tweed, tweed pattern, black bear brandComment

Eight Years Without a Word

Eight years under the same master, and we have never shared a language. Josh Sirlin on going back to Tokyo in October, and on what tattooing taught him about making things.

adventure, Japan, Culture, artJosh SirlinSeptember 24, 2026japanese tattoo, tebori, horitoshi, irezumi tokyo, getting tattooed in japan, josh sirlin, japanese craft, black bear brandComment

Twenty Hours of Thread

Four days of chain stitching, white cowhide sleeves, melton wool, and eight months of production. Josh Sirlin on the ART Edition varsity jacket, on display in Tokyo on October 2.

Craft, Craft & Materials, Culture, design, Heritage, jackets, JapanJosh SirlinSeptember 22, 2026varsity jacket, chain stitch varsity jacket, melton wool jacket, made in japan jacket, bespoke varsity, tokyo pop up, limited edition jacket, black bear brandComment

Woven at Home

The loom is pedalled like a bicycle, in the weaver's own house, on an island in the North Atlantic. Josh Sirlin on what hand woven actually means on a Harris Tweed.

Craft, Craft & Materials, Culture, Fabric, Fabric Guide, harris tweed, Heritage, JacketsJosh SirlinSeptember 21, 2026harris tweed, hand woven tweed, outer hebrides, hattersley loom, orb mark, treadle loom, wool jacket, black bear brandComment

One Pocket

The name is not a boast. It is a count. Josh Sirlin on the ONE Jean Jacket, on warp density, and on the years spent looking for denim worth cutting.

Denim, Jackets, materials, Craft, Heritage, CultureJosh SirlinSeptember 18, 2026jean jacket, denim jacket, selvedge jean jacket, one jean jacket, trucker jacket, made in japan denim, rope dyed, black bear brandComment

The Jeans

Shuttle looms in Okayama, a family sewing room five generations deep, and an inseam that is long on purpose. Josh Sirlin on the Black Bear Brand jeans.

Craft & Materials, Culture, Fabric Guide, Japan, Japan & Culture, DenimJosh SirlinSeptember 17, 2026selvedge jeans, japanese selvedge denim, okayama denim, black bear brand jeans, shuttle loom denim, raw denim, triple needle, black bear brandComment

The Art of Chainstitching

One thread, one needle, one hand turning a crank under the table. Josh Sirlin on the 1865 machine that still cannot be improved on, and on four days of stitching one jacket.

Craft & Materials, Culture, Heritage, Jackets, Japan & Culture, StyleJosh SirlinSeptember 16, 2026chain stitch embroidery, chainstitch, cornely machine, moss stitch, chenille, varsity jacket embroidery, hand guided embroidery, black bear brandComment

The Roughout Commander Jacket

Roughout Horween horsehide with the raw side out, no lining, and vintage snaps. Josh Sirlin on the commander jacket, on roughout leather, and on the friends who have put real miles on theirs.

The Peacoat, in Hunter Green

Josh Sirlin wore one vintage peacoat for more than ten years, then made the one he actually wanted. A first look at the Hunter Green, a custom color worked out with the mill, releasing September 22.

Craft & Materials, Culture, design, Fabric, Heritage, jackets, StyleJosh SirlinSeptember 10, 2026peacoat, hunter green, japanese wool, aichi ichinomiya, anchor buttons, made in japan, custom color, tokyo pop up, black bear brandComment

Why Wool Owns the Fall

Wool works wet, holds a shape for decades, and gets better looking as it goes. Josh Sirlin on the fall jacket, on tweed, and on the three that get woven for us each year in Scotland.

Craft & Materials, Craft, Culture, Fabric, Fabric Guide, harris tweed, JacketsJosh SirlinSeptember 9, 2026wool jacket, fall jacket, harris tweed, tweed jacket, mens outerwear, wool crimp warmth, autumn style, black bear brandComment