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

Black Bear Brand Comes to Tokyo

The first Black Bear Brand pop-up in Japan opens in Ebisu on the second, third and fourth of October. Josh Sirlin on Tokyo, the collection, and the pieces coming with it.

Black Bear Brand WOMAN, Culture, Heritage, Japan & Culture, Japan, menswearJosh SirlinSeptember 8, 2026black bear brand tokyo, tokyo pop up, ebisu tokyo, black bear brand japan, japan pop up, 東京ポップアップComment

The Lining Nobody Sees

Cupro is made from the fuzz left on a cotton seed. Josh Sirlin on the quietest luxury in a coat and why ours is made in Japan.

Culture, Craft, Craft & Materials, Fabric Guide, Jackets, JapanJosh SirlinSeptember 7, 2026cupro lining, what is cupro, cuprammonium, coat lining fabric, japanese fabric, luxury details, black bear brandComment

The Western Jacket, and the Chicago Tannery That Makes the Leather

Five generations of tanners on the Chicago River, and a jacket cut in Seattle. Josh Sirlin on horsehide, the rough-out finish, and a very limited run of the westerns.

Craft, Craft & Materials, Culture, Heritage, leather, made in usa, JacketsJosh SirlinSeptember 5, 2026horween leather, horsehide jacket, western leather jacket, rough out leather, made in usa leather jacket, black bear brand leatherComment

The Parts of a Shirt Nobody Names

Yoke, placket, gauntlet, gusset, interlining. Josh Sirlin on the vocabulary of a shirt, and on which of those parts actually tell you what you are holding.

Craft, Craft & Materials, Culture, Fabric Guide, HeritageJosh SirlinAugust 31, 2026parts of a shirt, split yoke, placket, gauntlet button, gusset, collar interlining, shirt construction, mens shirts, black bear brandComment

The Coats Come Out

Fall arrives, the tweed comes off the hook, and the peacoat returns with a new green. Josh Sirlin on cloth woven by hand in Scotland, coats made in Seattle, and wool woven in Japan.

Style & Heritage, menswear, Japan, Heritage, Craft & Materials, CultureJosh SirlinAugust 26, 2026harris tweed jacket, peacoat, melton wool, fall coats, made in seattle, made in japan, japanese wool, black bear brandComment

Four Sheepskins to a Jacket

A size medium takes four long curl sheepskins and one full day of one craftsman's hands. Josh Sirlin on shearling, on horsehide, and on the Northern Dream.

Craft & Materials, Culture, Fabric Guide, leather, Style & HeritageJosh SirlinAugust 26, 2026shearling jacket, curly lambskin, long curl sheepskin, horsehide jacket, horween leather, winter jacket, made in seattle, northern dream, black bear brandComment

Outdoor Clothing Came Indoors

Somebody named it in 2017 and the whole world went along with it. Josh Sirlin on how outdoor clothing became city clothing, and how to do it with cloth you actually want to touch.

Culture, Craft & Materials, Jackets, Style, Style & HeritageJosh SirlinAugust 25, 2026outdoor fashion, gorpcore, outdoor style, technical clothing everyday, layering guide, corduroy, heavyweight terry, black bear brandComment

What Made In Actually Means

The label tells you where a thing was assembled. It does not tell you who chose the mill. Josh Sirlin on the law behind the tag, and on choosing rooms instead of countries.

Craft & Materials, Culture, HeritageJosh SirlinAugust 24, 2026made in usa, country of origin, clothing labels, ftc made in usa rule, apparel labeling, made in japan, okayama, seattle, black bear brandComment

How to Store Clothes Through the Off Season

Moths do not eat clean wool. They cannot. Josh Sirlin on what actually eats your sweaters, what cedar does and does not do, and how to put a wardrobe away properly.

Craft & Materials, Culture, Fabric, Fabric Guide, materials, Style & HeritageJosh SirlinAugust 23, 2026clothes moths, storing wool, cedar closet, seasonal clothing storage, garment care, protecting sweaters, black bear bran, black bear brandComment

The INFORMAL Pant

An Olympic skater asked for a pant he could actually skate in. Josh Sirlin on the 90s west coast cut, the design that came out of it, and what happens when a skate pant is made from cloth this good.

Craft & Materials, Culture, Heritage, Style, Style & HeritageJosh SirlinAugust 21, 2026skate pants, informal pant, jagger eaton, skate style, 90s west coast pants, organic cotton pant, made in japan, black bear brandComment

The 7/8 Sleeve

A three quarter sleeve stops at the wrong place on a man's arm. Josh Sirlin on the sleeve length he designed instead, and why an inch decides everything.

Craft, Culture, shirts, Style & Heritage, t-shirt, TeesJosh SirlinAugust 20, 20267/8 sleeve, three quarter sleeve, sleeve length guide, mens proportion, pocket shirt, slub cotton, mens style, black bear brandComment

The White Tee Is the Whole Outfit

Paris 1960, the South of France in the seventies, an album cover in 1980. Josh Sirlin on how women made the white t-shirt the most powerful thing in a wardrobe, and on the WOMAN Ultimate Soft Tee.

Culture, Women's, Tees, Style, Style & HeritageJosh SirlinAugust 18, 2026womens white t shirt, best white tee for women, white t shirt style, jean seberg white tee, jane birkin style, effortless style, luxury basics, black bear brand womanComment

The Henley Started on a River

It was underwear, then it was a rowing uniform, then it was a shirt. Josh Sirlin on the Henley, the waffle knit, and why a garment dyed thermal is worth the extra step.

Culture, Craft & Materials, Fabric, Fabric Guide, HeritageJosh SirlinAugust 16, 2026henley shirt history, henley on thames, waffle knit thermal, thermal henley, shell buttons, garment dyed, mens style, black bear brandComment

Why a Heavy Sweatshirt Is Hard to Get Right

The sweatshirt began as a fix for an itchy football jersey in 1926. Josh Sirlin on terry, weight, that little V at the collar, and making one entirely in the United States.

Craft & Materials, Culture, Fabric Guide, HeritageJosh SirlinAugust 13, 2026sweatshirt history, french terry, heavyweight sweatshirt, 30oz terry, garment dyed sweats, made in usa, v notch collar, black bear brandComment

Why Some Things Look Better Used

A sixteenth century Japanese idea about age, and why the day you buy something is not the best it will ever look. Josh Sirlin on wabi-sabi, patina, and designing for the fifth year.

Craft & Materials, Culture, Denim, Heritage, Jackets, materials, leather, Motorcycles, Style & HeritageJosh SirlinAugust 12, 2026wabi sabi, patina, sen no rikyu, japanese aesthetics, aging clothing, indigo fade, leather patina, black bear brandComment

Why Women's Clothes Lost Their Pockets

Women had better pockets than men for two hundred years, and then fashion took them away. Josh Sirlin on tie on pockets, the Old Bailey, and cutting a pocket that works.

Culture, Style, Style & Heritage, Women'sJosh SirlinAugust 12, 2026history of pockets, womens pockets, tie on pockets, why dont womens clothes have pockets, fashion history, womens denim, black bear brand womanComment

The Small Parts

Buttons crossed the Atlantic as ship ballast. Josh Sirlin on corozo, shell, brass and zippers, and why hardware is where most clothing quietly fails.

Craft & Materials, Culture, Heritage, materials, Style & HeritageJosh SirlinAugust 11, 2026corozo buttons, tagua nut, vegetable ivory, mother of pearl buttons, shell buttons, brass hardware, talon zipper, ykk, black bear brandComment