What I Wear to Thanksgiving, and Through the Holidays

Thanksgiving is Thursday, November 26, 2026. Josh Sirlin on the holiday Abraham Lincoln proclaimed in 1863, and the Black Bear Brand corduroy, merino and wool he wears to the table and through the holidays.

Behind the Design: Leather, Wool and Denim

Behind the design of Black Bear Brand leather, wool and denim. Josh Sirlin on a horsehide tan made with Horween, a hunter green made with a Japanese mill, a coat refined from a decade old peacoat, and a jeans pocket cut for a buckle.

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What Makes Japanese Selvedge Denim Different

What makes Japanese selvedge denim different from ordinary denim? Josh Sirlin on the closed edge, the weight, rope dyed indigo, and the five Black Bear Brand denims woven in Japan, from botanical indigo to the winter wash.

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Holiday Shipping 2026, and the Pieces Ready Now

What arrives by Christmas and what is made to order. Josh Sirlin on 2026 holiday shipping with UPS, the Black Bear Brand pieces in stock now, and the digital gift card for last minute gifting.

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The Luxury Gift Guide for Men, 2026

A unique luxury gift for a man who loves design and quality is one made in limited numbers from the finest cloth. Josh Sirlin's 2026 Black Bear Brand gift guide, from the peacoat to the down vest to the journal.

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Five Centuries of the Jacket

The word is French and more than five hundred years old, and fall is when it matters most. Josh Sirlin on the jacket, and the jackets of Black Bear Brand.

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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.

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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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The Northern Dream Vest Turns Inside Out

Horsehide one way, long curl lambskin the other, and a zipper that works from both sides. Josh Sirlin on the Northern Dream reversible vest.

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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.

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Oita, Freeway, and the Bikes BJ Makes

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.

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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.

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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.

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.

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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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The Skills You Only Learn by Going

A cattle drive from a motorcycle seat, eight years with a Tokyo tattoo master, skydives in Panama. Josh Sirlin on men's lifestyle and the life skills you only learn by going.

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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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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.

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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.

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