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.

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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

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.

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Seattle Is a Coat Town

Less rain than New York, spread over twice as many days. Josh Sirlin on what Seattle weather does to a wardrobe, and why our coats are made here.

Heritage, outdoors, Jackets, Style, Style & HeritageJosh SirlinSeptember 5, 2026seattle style, pacific northwest fashion, made in seattle, rain jacket wool coat, seattle weather clothing, 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.

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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

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.

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The Pocket Came Later

The chest pocket was not part of the original t-shirt, and the reason it arrived is better than you would guess. Josh Sirlin on the pocket tee, and on the one we make.

Style & Heritage, shirts, menswear, HeritageJosh SirlinAugust 18, 2026pocket tee, pocket t shirt history, why do t shirts have pockets, chest pocket, slub cotton tee, garment dyed tee, made in seattle, 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.

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How the White T-Shirt Became the Uniform

It cost 24 cents in the Sears catalog and it took two films to make it famous. Josh Sirlin on how a plain white tee went from the bottom of a sea bag to the top of the world.

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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 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

The Plain White T-Shirt: The Hardest Thing to Get Right

It started as underwear and became the most worn garment on earth. Josh Sirlin on the plain white t-shirt, and how to tell a great one from a cheap one.

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Chasing the Dream Is the Whole Game

The prize was never the finish. Josh Sirlin on purpose, the long chase behind Black Bear Brand, and why the pursuit is the thing that keeps you alive.

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