Wildflower: The Harris Tweed Chore Coat, His and Hers

One Harris Tweed, two coats. Josh Sirlin on the Wildflower Harris Tweed chore coats, his and hers, hand woven in the Outer Hebrides for Black Bear Brand and made in Seattle, and the first Black Bear Brand Harris Tweed coat for women.

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The Harris Tweed Jacket, Cut Six Ways

A Harris Tweed jacket for men does not have to be a sport coat. Josh Sirlin on six Black Bear Brand cuts in hand woven Harris Tweed: the western jacket, ranch coat, chore coat, zip coat, Highlander and car coat.

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Midnight Glen, Wildflower, Moss Fire

Three new Harris Tweeds are woven for Black Bear Brand in Scotland every year, and Josh Sirlin makes three jackets from them. Here are this fall's three, starting with the Midnight Glen Tartan.

Craft, Craft & Materials, Fabric, harris tweed, Heritage, Jackets, made in usa, outerwearJosh SirlinSeptember 17, 2026harris tweed, midnight glen tartan, wildflower tartan, moss fire tartan, chore coat, zip coat, outer hebrides, made in seattle, black bear brandComment

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 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

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

How I Started Black Bear Brand

Black Bear Brand is not a new company. It is a resurrection. Josh Sirlin on George G. Black, a forgotten Seattle name, and a decade spent bringing it back

Craft, Culture, HeritageJosh SirlinJuly 25, 2026black bear brand history, josh sirlin, george g black, seattle heritage brand, brand revival, made in seattleComment

Black Bear Means Long Wear: The 1914 Factory and the Brand I Brought Back

Black Bear Brand is not a new label with an old look. It is a real Seattle company from the early 1900s, with a real factory and a real slogan, that Josh Sirlin spent a decade bringing back.

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Made in Seattle, Made in Japan: The Two Homes of Black Bear Brand

One brand, two homes, and a bolt of Scottish wool in between. Josh Sirlin on why Black Bear Brand is designed in Seattle and built in Okayama.

Heritage, Japan, Japan & CultureJosh SirlinJuly 17, 2026made in seattle, made in japan, black bear brand story, pacific northwest, okayama, made in usa clothingComment

The Henley: The Shirt Between a Tee and Everything Else

A collarless placket, three or four buttons, and somehow the most useful shirt a man owns. The henley's rowing-club origins and what makes a great one.

Craft & Materials, fabric guide, shirtsJosh SirlinJuly 11, 2026henley shirt, thermal henley, waffle knit, men's henley, garment dyed, made in seattle, black bear brandComment

Waxed Canvas and "Tin Cloth": The Seattle Cloth That Beats the Weather

From ships' sails to the Klondike gold fields to Seattle's logging camps, waxed cotton is the toughest weatherproof cloth ever made — and it ages like nothing else.

Fabric Guide, Heritage, Jackets, Style & HeritageJosh SirlinJuly 6, 2026waxed canvas, tin cloth, waxed cotton history, waxed canvas jacket, made in seattle, pacific northwest workwear, black bear brandComment