Women, Jeans, and the Case for Premium Japanese Denim

The finest denim on earth is Japanese, and women who care how a garment is built no longer settle for fast-fashion stretch. Here's what makes Okayama selvedge worth it — and how to choose your first serious pair.

Women's, DenimJosh SirlinJuly 2, 2026women's japanese denim, women's selvedge jeans, premium women's jeans, okayama denim, raw denim women, best quality women's jeans, japanese denim, black bear brand womenComment

The Jean Jacket: A Complete American History (Type I, II & III)

From the 1880s riveted blouse to the Type III Trucker. The complete story of America's denim jacket, and the one I spent years perfecting.

Style & HeritageJosh SirlinJuly 1, 2026jean jacket, denim jacket, trucker jacket, Type I II III, Levi's, selvedge, Black Bear BrandComment

Monozukuri: The Japanese Art of Making a Thing the Best It Can Be

Shokunin spirit, monozukuri, kaizen. After a decade making in Okayama, here's what Japan taught me about making a thing as well as it can be made.

Japan & CultureJosh SirlinJuly 1, 2026monozukuri, shokunin, Japanese craftsmanship, kaizen, takumi, Okayama, Black Bear BrandComment

The Pearl Snap Shirt: How a Cowboy Detail Became an American Icon

Snaps that rip free when a cowboy's snagged, sawtooth pockets, pointed yokes. The story of the western shirt, and how I carry it into horsehide.

Style & HeritageJosh SirlinJuly 1, 2026pearl snap shirt, western shirt, Rockmount, Jack Weil, cowboy, Americana, Black Bear BrandComment

American Men's Luxury: What It Means Now

Logos are out; provenance is in. Here's what luxury means for American menswear now, and how I try to build it.

Style & HeritageJosh SirlinJune 30, 2026American luxury, men's luxury, quiet luxury, craftsmanship, made in USA, Horween, Black Bear BrandComment

How 1990s American Streetwear Rewrote the Rule

Skate decks, surf logos, hip-hop, and the hype drop. I came up in this world, so here's how the '90s changed how America gets dressed.

Style & HeritageJosh SirlinJune 30, 2026streetwear, 90s fashion, Stussy, Supreme, skate culture, hip-hop fashion, menswear history, Black Bear BrandComment

What Is Style, Really? (It Isn't Fashion)

Fashion is what's sold to you. Style is what's left when the trend dies. Here's how I think about the difference.

Style & HeritageJosh SirlinJune 30, 2026what is style, personal style, menswear, fashion vs style, quiet luxury, Black Bear BrandComment

Summer Style, Done Right: How to Dress for the Heat

Summer is the hardest season to dress well. Here is how I think about it: the right fabrics, fewer better pieces, and the Black Bear Brand summer.

StyleJosh SirlinJune 29, 2026summer style, summer fashion, mens summer outfits, summer wardrobe, how to dress for summer, summer fashion tips, Black Bear BrandComment

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

The Hand-Carved Soul of Japanese Tattooing

Hand-carved, not machined. The centuries-deep story of irezumi and Tokyo's Horitoshi lineage, from someone who's spent a decade going to Japan.

Japan & CultureJosh SirlinJune 28, 2026tebori, irezumi, Japanese tattoo, Horitoshi, Tokyo, Edo, wabori, Black Bear BrandComment

The Only Cloth Protected by an Act of Parliament

Handwoven in island homes, dyed in the wool, and guarded by law. I weave with it, and here's why I love it.

Craft & MaterialsJosh SirlinJune 28, 2026Harris Tweed, Outer Hebrides, Orb mark, tweed, virgin wool, Scottish craft, Black Bear BrandComment

A True History of American Denim (and Why It Still Matters)

I've spent a decade obsessed with getting denim right. Here's the real story of America's most democratic fabric, and where the craft lives now.

Style & HeritageJosh SirlinJune 28, 2026denim history, American denim, Levi Strauss, selvedge denim, Okayama, raw denim, workwear, Black Bear BrandComment

The Ghost White ‘Spirit Bear’ Western Horween Horsehide Jacket

Heavy Horween ghost-white horsehide that wears through to natural tan with every mile. A living work of art, made in the USA.

leather, JacketsJosh SirlinJune 27, 2026white leather jacket, ghost white horsehide, white horsehide jacket, Horween horsehide, western leather jacket, made in USA leather jacket, Black Bear BrandComment

The Aged Ivory Western Horween Horsehide Jacket by Black Bear Brand

Soft, light Horween ivory horsehide, hand-dyed and made in the USA — romance and ruggedness in one hide.

Jackets, leatherJosh SirlinJune 27, 2026ivory leather jacket, cream leather jacket, light leather jacket, Horween horsehide, western leather jacket, made in USA leather jacket, Black Bear BrandComment

The Black Western Horween Horsehide Jacket by Black Bear Brand

Heavy Horween black natural-back horsehide that ages into deep browns with every mile. Handcrafted in the USA.

JacketsJosh SirlinJune 27, 2026black leather jacket, black horsehide jacket, Horween horsehide, western leather jacket, made in USA leather jacket, men's black leather jacket, Black Bear BrandComment

Sashiko, Boro, and the Soul of Japanese Textiles

Sashiko and boro — Japan's indigo workwear heritage of mending, reinforcing, and never wasting. The textile soul behind what we make.

JapanJosh SirlinJune 26, 2026Japanese textiles, sashiko, boro, noragi, indigo textiles, Japanese workwear, mottainai, Black Bear BrandComment

Shokunin and Monozukuri: The Soul of Japanese Craftsmanship

Shokunin and monozukuri — the lifelong Japanese devotion to making things right. The philosophy behind every piece we make in Japan.

JapanJosh SirlinJune 26, 2026shokunin, monozukuri, Japanese craftsmanship, Japanese artisan, takumi, made in Japan, Black Bear BrandComment

Why Japan Makes the World’s Best Denim: Inside Okayama

Okayama's Kojima is the denim capital of the world — and where we make ours. Here's why Japanese selvedge denim is the best on earth.

Japan, denimJosh SirlinJune 25, 2026Japanese denim, Okayama denim, Kojima denim, selvedge denim, shuttle loom, best denim in the world, Black Bear BrandComment

Japanese Indigo: The Art of Aizome and ‘Japan Blue’

Aizome — the centuries-old craft behind ‘Japan Blue.’ The real story of natural Japanese indigo, from someone who lives in it.

JapanJosh SirlinJune 25, 2026Japanese indigo, aizome, Japan blue, natural indigo dye, sukumo, Tokushima indigo, indigo dyeing, Black Bear BrandComment