For one rare afternoon, the Black Bear Brand studio in Seattle opens its doors so you can see, try on and shop the designs in person. Saturday, October 31. Reservation required. Josh Sirlin on the pop in.

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Gifts for Denim Lovers and Lovers of Craftsmanship

For the man who reads the selvedge before the price tag. Josh Sirlin on Black Bear Brand gifts for denim lovers: shuttle loom selvedge from Okayama, botanical indigo, jackets distressed one at a time.

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Black Bear Brand Jeans Begin and End in Okayama

The cloth is woven in Okayama, and the jeans are cut, sewn and finished there too. Josh Sirlin on the prefecture that makes the best denim in the world.

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Japan, and Everything Coming / 日本、そしてこの先のすべて

The Tokyo pop up is done, and right after it I went to Okayama. Denim, two new corduroy colors, two new fabrics, knits, and what is coming next. 東京のポップアップを終えて、そのまま岡山へ。デニム、新しいコーデュロイの色が2つ、新しい生地が2つ、そしてニットの話です。

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.

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Denim and Long Curl Lambskin: The Coat for When Fall Turns

Indigo cloth, a wild curled collar, and two of the oldest materials in the wardrobe in one coat. Josh Sirlin on denim and sheepskin, long curl lambskin, and the botanical indigo denim winter coat.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Denim Country

The wild west was loud, and the cloth that went through all of it was blue. Josh Sirlin on the jean jacket, the Cowboy Jeans, the people he rides with, and the looms in Okayama.

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Why Jeans Fade Where They Do

Whiskers, honeycombs, atari, train tracks. Josh Sirlin on the vocabulary of a worn pair of jeans, and on the dye decisions made years before you ever put them on.

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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.

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Black Denim: The Other Discipline

Black jeans are harder to make than blue ones, and almost nobody says so. Josh Sirlin on sulfur dye, over-dyeing, and how to keep black denim black.

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Indigo: The Oldest Blue, and Why It Fades Like Nothing Else

Indigo is the only dye that leaves on purpose. Josh Sirlin on Japanese indigo, rope dyeing, and the reason blue jeans tell you where you have been.

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Women’s Style and the Rise of Western Fashion for Women

Launching Black Bear Brand WOMAN is one of the proudest things I have done. Josh Sirlin on women’s style, real craft, and the biggest western moment in decades.

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Selvedge Denim, Explained: The Self-Edge, the Sanforized Fit, and the Story in Every Fade

The self-edge is a mark of how denim was woven. Sanforized means it fits true and stays there. Josh Sirlin on selvedge, the beauty of fit, and the story a great pair of jeans tells over the years.

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Women, Jeans, and Premium Japanese Denim

Women built the American jean, then spent sixty years borrowing it before anyone cut one for them. Josh Sirlin on women, denim, and the premium Okayama selvedge behind Black Bear Brand WOMAN.

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Botanical Indigo: The Oldest Blue, and the Jeans I Built Around It

Almost all denim is dyed with synthetic indigo. Josh Sirlin on the plant-derived blue that came first — and the 13oz Okayama jeans built around it.

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The Rare Looms of Okayama: The Lost Art Behind the World's Best Denim

In a small corner of Japan, a handful of artisans keep vintage shuttle looms alive — machines the rest of the world scrapped. Inside the lost art that makes the finest denim on earth.

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The Old West and Jeans: How Blue Denim Won the Frontier

Denim didn't just clothe the Old West — it helped build it, one riveted seam at a time. The Gold Rush, the 1873 patent, and the birth of the blue jean.

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