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.

Finding Your Size at Black Bear Brand

Every Black Bear Brand design has its own fit and its own size guide. Josh Sirlin on reading the guide, measuring a piece you already love, and the sizes he wears in the photos.

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The WOMAN Thermal Henley, Made in Japan

A henley for her, in natural white Japanese cotton. Josh Sirlin on the Black Bear Brand WOMAN Thermal Henley: 8.6oz waffle knit made in Japan, a name that came off the river at Henley, and the WOMAN pieces it lives with.

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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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A Jacket or Jeans as a Gift, and the Size Question

Giving a man a jacket or a pair of jeans means getting one number right. Josh Sirlin on the size guide, the long inseam on Black Bear Brand jeans, and when the gift card is the right gift.

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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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Gifts for the Man Who Has Everything

The man who has everything still has room for something rare. Josh Sirlin on hand woven Harris Tweed coats, Horween shell cordovan, merino knit in northern Japan, and Black Bear Brand gifts worth keeping for decades.

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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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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.

The Clear-Headed Generation

Only 54 percent of Americans drink, a Gallup record low. Josh Sirlin on choosing sobriety, clear mornings, the details a clear head sees, and the waffle knit thermal henley.

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The Name Was Waiting: Josh Sirlin on Bringing Back Black Bear Brand

A Seattle name from the turn of the twentieth century had gone quiet. Thirteen years ago Josh Sirlin brought it back. The story, the method, and the Original LOGO T.

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Black Bear Brand Opens in Tokyo: Our First Pop Up in Japan

Friday the doors open on the first Black Bear Brand pop up in Japan. Three days in Tokyo, the vintage engineer pant and coat in person for the first time, and a COMMANDER roughout jacket sold only in the room. Josh Sirlin on why it had to be Tokyo.

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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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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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