The best fabrics for fall and winter, piece by piece. Josh Sirlin on melton, Harris Tweed, camel hair, merino, corduroy, selvedge denim, waffle knit, 30oz terry, horsehide, sheepskin and goose down at Black Bear Brand.

Fabric Guide, materials, menswear, StyleJosh SirlinOctober 28, 2026best fabrics for fall and winter, winter fabrics, warmest fabrics, melton wool, camel hair, merino wool, corduroy, waffle knit thermal, 30oz terry, black bear brand materialsComment

The Whole Warm Up Suit, Made in America

Hoody, sweatpants, shorts and crew in 30oz terry, with every step done in the United States. Josh Sirlin on the American warm up suit.

Fabric Guide, made in usa, sweatsJosh SirlinOctober 13, 2026heavyweight sweatsuit, 30oz terry, made in usa sweatpants, heavyweight hoodie, sweat shorts, garment dyed sweats, warm up suit, american made clothing, black bear brand, josh sirlinComment

The Northern Dream Jacket Starts With the Hide

Before the lambskin, the quilting and the snaps, there is the hide. Josh Sirlin on Horween horsehide and where the Northern Dream jacket begins.

Craft & Materials, Heritage, Fabric Guide, Jackets, made in usa, Style, leatherJosh SirlinOctober 9, 2026northern dream jacket, horween horsehide, horsehide jacket, shearling jacket, long curl lambskin, leather jacket, vegetable tanned leather, made in usa, black bear brand, josh sirlinComment

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

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

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

Seven Colors of 30oz Terry

Color that goes on after a sweatshirt is sewn behaves differently forever. Josh Sirlin on garment dyeing and the Black Bear Brand 30oz terry hoody, crew, pants and shorts.

sweats, Style & Heritage, made in usa, materials, Fabric Guide, Craft & MaterialsJosh SirlinSeptember 15, 2026garment dyed sweatshirt, 30oz terry, heavyweight hoody, made in usa sweats, sweatpants, black bear brand sweatsComment

What Makes a Flannel a Flannel

Flannel is a finish, and the word is Welsh. Josh Sirlin on how flannel is actually made and the Black Bear Brand flannels woven and sewn in Japan.

Craft & Materials, Fabric, Fabric Guide, shirts, Style & HeritageJosh SirlinSeptember 15, 2026flannel shirt, what is flannel, flannel fabric, made in japan shirt, mens flannel, black bear brand shirtsComment

Waxed Canvas Came Off the Sails

Sailors noticed that wet sails pulled better, and a cloth was born out of it. Josh Sirlin on the history of waxed cotton and the Black Bear Brand wax canvas jackets.

Craft & Materials, Fabric, Fabric Guide, Heritage, jackets, made in usa, outerwearJosh SirlinSeptember 13, 2026waxed canvas, waxed cotton history, wax canvas jacket, quilted jacket, mens outerwear, black bear brand jacketsComment

The Fisherman Sweater and the Cable That Made It Famous

The Aran sweater is younger than the legend around it, and the true story is better. Josh Sirlin on cables, ganseys, and the Black Bear Brand merino fisherman sweater.

knits, Style & Heritage, outdoors, materials, Fabric Guide, Craft & MaterialsJosh SirlinSeptember 10, 2026fisherman sweater, aran sweater history, cable knit sweater, merino wool sweater, mens knitwear, black bear brand sweaterComment

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

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 Color Goes In Before the Yarn

A plain Harris Tweed is never one color. Josh Sirlin on fibre dyeing, blending to a recipe, and why the cloth changes as the light moves.

harris tweed, Style & Heritage, Heritage, Fabric Guide, CraftJosh SirlinSeptember 3, 2026harris tweed colors, fibre dyed wool, dyed in the wool, harris tweed jacket, scottish wool, outer hebrides, black bear brandComment

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

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

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

Wool, Measured in Microns

Wool does not itch because it is wool. It itches because of a number. Josh Sirlin on micron counts, the prickle threshold, and why the coarser fibers are not the lesser ones.

Craft & Materials, Fabric, Fabric Guide, Heritage, materialsJosh SirlinAugust 22, 2026wool micron count, merino wool, lambswool, shetland wool, cashmere microns, itchy wool, tweed, black bear brandComment

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

The Morning the Jacket Comes Off the Hook

There is one morning every August when the air turns. Josh Sirlin on the jean jacket coming off the hook, the white tee under it, and the tweed waiting after October.

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