Women had better pockets than men for two hundred years, and then fashion took them away. Josh Sirlin on tie on pockets, the Old Bailey, and cutting a pocket that works.

Culture, Style, Style & Heritage, Women'sJosh SirlinAugust 12, 2026history of pockets, womens pockets, tie on pockets, why dont womens clothes have pockets, fashion history, womens denim, black bear brand womanComment

The Small Parts

Buttons crossed the Atlantic as ship ballast. Josh Sirlin on corozo, shell, brass and zippers, and why hardware is where most clothing quietly fails.

Craft & Materials, Culture, Heritage, materials, Style & HeritageJosh SirlinAugust 11, 2026corozo buttons, tagua nut, vegetable ivory, mother of pearl buttons, shell buttons, brass hardware, talon zipper, ykk, black bear brandComment

Pink Was a Man's Color First

For two hundred years pink meant money and power, and men wore it without thinking twice. Josh Sirlin on how a color changed sides, and on making a rose you cannot get anywhere else.

Culture, Craft & Materials, Fabric Guide, Heritage, StyleJosh SirlinAugust 10, 2026history of pink, pink in menswear, why is pink a girls color, men wearing pink, color history, vintage rose, corduroy, black bear brandComment

What Ounces Really Mean

Weight is the number everyone quotes and almost nobody understands. Josh Sirlin on ounces, grams, and what a fabric weight can and cannot tell you.

Craft & Materials, denim, Fabric Guide, Fabric, Heritage, materialsJosh SirlinAugust 9, 2026fabric weight, oz per square yard, gsm, denim weight, 13oz selvedge, heavyweight terry, corduroy weight, black bear brandComment

The Color That Killed People

Green was the hardest color in the world to make, and then it was the deadliest. Josh Sirlin on arsenic, Victorian dye houses, and what a real green still costs.

Craft, corduroy, Culture, Fabric, fabric guide, materials, StyleJosh SirlinAugust 8, 2026scheeles green, arsenic green, paris green, history of green dye, victorian fashion, natural dye, garment dye, old money green, black bear brandComment

The Number on Your Pants Nobody Reads

Rise decides where your leg appears to start, and a tailor cannot fix it afterward. Josh Sirlin on the one measurement worth taking before you order anything.

Culture, Heritage, Craft, fabric guide, StyleJosh SirlinAugust 8, 2026pant rise, trouser rise, how pants should fit, high rise vs mid rise, jeans fit guide, mens style, black bear brandComment

Denim in Summer: What Heat, Salt, and the Road Do to Indigo

Most people put their jeans away in June. I do the opposite. The white core inside a rope dyed yarn, the old looms in Okayama, and what a hot road actually does to a pair of jeans.

Craft & Materials, Craft, Culture, denim, fabric guide, Heritage, JapanJosh SirlinAugust 7, 2026japanese denim, selvedge denim, okayama denim, summer denim, rope dyed indigo, shuttle loom, denim fades, travelComment

The Plain White T-Shirt: The Hardest Thing to Get Right

It started as underwear and became the most worn garment on earth. Josh Sirlin on the plain white t-shirt, and how to tell a great one from a cheap one.

Craft & Materials, Culture, fabric guide, Heritage, materials, Style, Style & HeritageJosh SirlinAugust 6, 2026white t-shirt, best white t shirt, t-shirt history, heavyweight tee, slub cotton tee, made in japan t shirt, mens style basicsComment

The Road Humbles You: Travel, Curiosity, and Where the Work Comes From

Being the least capable person in the room is the fastest education there is. Josh Sirlin on travel, curiosity, and getting humbled on purpose.

Culture, Heritage, Japan, Japan & Culture, travelJosh SirlinAugust 5, 2026travel and creativity, living abroad creativity, japan travel, oita motorcycle, curiosity, humility, josh sirlinComment

Chasing the Dream Is the Whole Game

The prize was never the finish. Josh Sirlin on purpose, the long chase behind Black Bear Brand, and why the pursuit is the thing that keeps you alive.

Culture, Style & Heritage, CraftJosh SirlinAugust 4, 2026chasing the dream, purpose in life, entrepreneurship, creative life, josh sirlin, black bear brand story, motivationComment

The Down Vest: Warmth Without Weight

Down is the best insulation on earth and the least understood. Josh Sirlin on fill power, cluster size, and the vest built for a Pacific Northwest winter.

Craft & Materials, Fabric, fabric guide, materials, leather, menswear, Style & HeritageJosh SirlinAugust 4, 2026goose down vest, fill power explained, down insulation, best down vest, made in japan outerwear, indigo steer hide, mens winter styleComment

The Weft: The Half of Your Jeans You Never See

Flip your cuff. That pale thread is the weft, and it decides more than you think. Josh Sirlin on twill, slub, and the hidden half of denim.

Craft, Craft & Materials, denim, Fabric, fabric guide, Japan, materialsJosh SirlinAugust 3, 2026warp and weft, denim twill, right hand twill, left hand twill, slub denim, shuttle loom, selvedge denim explainedComment

Why I Chose Gold: Six Teeth and a Hard Life

Never had a cavity. Still broke six teeth. Josh Sirlin on gold crowns, the oldest dental material there is, and choosing the right material for the job.

Culture, Craft, StyleJosh SirlinAugust 3, 2026gold teeth, gold crowns, gold dental crown longevity, dental gold history, josh sirlin, craftsmanship, material choiceComment

Harris Tweed and the Truth About Tartan

Harris Tweed is the only cloth in the world defended by its own Act of Parliament. Josh Sirlin on the Orb, the islands, and what tartan really was.

Culture, Craft & Materials, Craft, Fabric, fabric guide, HeritageJosh SirlinAugust 2, 2026japan tattoo law, tattoo legal japan, irezumi today, harris tweed, harris tweed act 1993, orb mark, tartan history, dress act 1746, outer hebrides, wool jacketComment

Black Denim: The Other Discipline

Black jeans are harder to make than blue ones, and almost nobody says so. Josh Sirlin on sulfur dye, over-dyeing, and how to keep black denim black.

Craft, Craft & Materials, Denim, fabric guide, StyleJosh SirlinAugust 1, 2026black denim, black jeans, sulfur dye denim, charcoal denim, how to keep black jeans black, selvedge denim, mens styleComment

Tebori Now: The Japanese Tattoo in 2026, Part Three

One artist refused to pay a fine and changed the law for everyone. Josh Sirlin on the 2020 Supreme Court ruling and the state of irezumi today.

Culture, Heritage, JapanJosh SirlinAugust 1, 2026japan tattoo law, taiki masuda, tattoo legal japan, irezumi today, tebori, onsen tattoo rules, japanese tattoo artistsComment

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

The Outlaw Years: When Japan Banned the Tattoo, Part Two

Japan banned the tattoo in 1872 to look civilized, and two future kings got tattooed there anyway. Josh Sirlin on the seventy six years underground.

Culture, Heritage, JapanJosh SirlinJuly 31, 2026meiji tattoo ban, japan tattoo history, irezumi banned, tattoo stigma japan, yakuza tattoo history, japanese cultureComment

Ink Before the Ban: The Tattoo in Old Japan, Part One

The samurai are not who you think. The tattooed men of Edo were firemen, laborers and gamblers. Josh Sirlin on the first chapter of the Japanese tattoo.

Culture, Heritage, JapanJosh SirlinJuly 31, 2026japanese tattoo history, irezumi history, edo period tattoo, suikoden, hikeshi firemen, tebori, japanese cultureComment

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