Five Colors, Then the Wash: Ivory, Old Money Green, Ocean Blue, Vintage Rose, Charcoal

You cannot buy these colors. Josh Sirlin on creating custom dye colors for Black Bear Brand, the garment wash that follows, and why no two pairs come out the same.

Craft, Craft & Materials, Culture, Fabric, fabric guide, Japan, materialsJosh SirlinJuly 31, 2026Comment

Indigo: The Oldest Blue, and Why It Fades Like Nothing Else

Indigo is the only dye that leaves on purpose. Josh Sirlin on Japanese indigo, rope dyeing, and the reason blue jeans tell you where you have been.

Black Bear Brand WOMAN, Craft, Craft & Materials, denim, Denim, Fabric, fabric guide, Japan, Style & HeritageJosh SirlinJuly 30, 2026indigo dye, aizome, japan blue, rope dyed denim, okayama denim, why denim fades, selvedge denimComment

What Fashion Design Really Is When You Do It Right

Most people think fashion design is sketching pretty clothes. It is not. It is problem solving. Josh Sirlin on how he designs every Black Bear Brand piece.

Craft, Craft & Materials, Culture, Fabric, Heritage, StyleJosh SirlinJuly 29, 2026fashion design, clothing design process, slow fashion, anti disposable, garment design, josh sirlinComment

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

Rose Red Pocket Bags: The Details Nobody Sees But You

The pocket bags in our WOMAN jeans are rose red and nobody will ever see them. Josh Sirlin on hidden details, the Edo merchants banned from looking rich, and why the best part of a garment is the part you keep to yourself.

Craft, denim, Fabric, fabric guide, Japan, materialsJosh SirlinJuly 24, 2026hidden details clothing, iki aesthetic, edo sumptuary laws, haori lining, japanese design philosophy, selvedge denim details, black bear brand womanComment

The Horween Leather Story, and Why I Build With It

It is not a brand you slap on a product. It is a Chicago tannery quietly setting the world standard since 1905. Josh Sirlin on Horween, and the leather he builds with.

Craft, Fabric Guide, Jackets, leather, materialsJosh SirlinJuly 23, 2026horween leather, shell cordovan, chromexcel, horsehide jacket, american tannery, chicago leatherComment

The Old American Machines in Japan: The Myth, the Truth, and Why the Craft Lives There

Everyone says Japan bought America’s old denim looms. Mostly, that is a myth. Josh Sirlin on the Union Special machines, the Toyoda looms, and why the craft really lives in Okayama.

Culture, denim, Craft, Heritage, JapanJosh SirlinJuly 20, 2026japanese denim looms, toyoda shuttle loom, union special 43200g, cone mills white oak, selvedge denim history, okayama denim, denim mythComment

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.

Culture, Craft, HeritageJosh SirlinJuly 18, 2026black bear brand history, black manufacturing company, george g black, seattle heritage brand, josh sirlin, made in seattleComment

The Rare Looms of Okayama: The Lost Art Behind the World's Best Denim

In a small corner of Japan, a handful of artisans keep vintage shuttle looms alive — machines the rest of the world scrapped. Inside the lost art that makes the finest denim on earth.

Craft, Denim, Fabric, Fabric Guide, Heritage, JapanJosh SirlinJuly 11, 2026okayama denim, kojima japan, vintage shuttle looms, selvedge denim, rope dyeing indigo, lost art denim, japanese denim, black bear brandComment

Japan and Fashion: How a Nation Fell for Americana — and Made It Better

Some of the most American clothing in the world is now made in Japan — and made better. The Ametora story, the mills of Okayama, and Black Bear Brand's decade-long love affair with the country that saved American style.

Culture, Craft & Materials, Craft, Denim, Japan, Japan & Culture, Style & HeritageJosh SirlinJuly 2, 2026Japan, japan american fashion, ametora, japanese denim history, okayama denim, japanese selvedge, how japan saved american style, japanese craftsmanship, black bear brand japanComment

The Embroidered Flower Shirt: From the Aloha Shirt to Made in Japan

From 1930s Hawaii to Japanese needlework, the embroidered flower shirt is summer’s most iconic piece. Ours is wild, fully embroidered, and made in Japan.

Craft, Craft & Materials, JapanJosh SirlinJune 29, 2026embroidered flower shirt, floral shirt, made in Japan shirt, aloha shirt history, summer shirt, mens embroidered shirt, Japanese embroidery, Black Bear BrandComment

the washed corduroy short: a little surf history, and why cord belongs in summer

Everyone files corduroy under fall. They have it backwards. The corduroy short has deep surf roots, and ours is washed soft and made in Japan.

Style, Craft, corduroyJosh SirlinJune 28, 2026corduroy shorts, washed corduroy shorts, corduroy short history, surf style, summer shorts, mens corduroy shorts, Black Bear Brand, mens corduroy, made in Japan corduroyComment