Josh Sirlin is in love with his 1948 Panhead. And with freedom, adventure. And so, the creative director of the Black Bear Brand went on a trip through America’s Wild West. To escape all noise and experience the rawness of nature from the seat of his bike. Always at his side: Josh’s Big Pilot’s Watch.
We are meant to explore this earth like children do, unhindered by fear, propelled by curiosity and a sense of discovery. Allow yourself to see the world through new eyes and know there are amazing adventures here for you.
filming: Bradley Wentzel / editing: Caleb Keller / music: The Last Knife Fighter
We are meant to explore this earth like children do, unhindered by fear, propelled by curiosity and a sense of discovery. Allow yourself to see the world through new eyes and know there are amazing adventures here for you.
captured by: Bradley Wentzel
the ramblings of a designer...
touching on the resurrection journey of 100 yr. old Black Bear Brand.
Stories of HUMAN CONNECTION in collaboration with SALT. Optics
SALT. x Black Bear Brand (part one)
explore - participate - LIVE
Black Bear Brand has been part of the Pacific Northwest landscape for over 100 years.
We are the cowboy, we are the biker, we are the artist, we are the adventurer; and we require a deep connection with everything we invite into our lives.
Demand a deep connection with everything you invite into your lives!
Made To Order… with delivery by end of December. Merry Merry MF!
Designed in collaboration with friend and the mad scientist car builder Jonathan Ward of ICON 4x4.
Demand a deep connection with everything you invite into your lives!
Every painstaking step in the process done by the indigo soaked hands of our close friend Kai at his organic INDIGO farm in Kyushu, Japan!
Built for a life well lived…
photograph: Chris Dickinson
the rough out horsehide shirt/jacket.
Demand a deep connection with everything you invite into your lives!
friendship kick started from shared interests; grown by sharing our differences… and fueled by a passion for the exceptional!
the journey has just begun….
photographed by: Bradley Wentzel
Preorder opens 10/26! (colors… 1: Navy/Indigo and 2: Natural/Army
Join Brent Underwood as he discovers a Black Bear Brand jacket in a 100 yr. old abandoned California mine!
Another BlackBearBrand... ghost sign was found!
Last Saturday afternoon a friend in Snoqualmie WA while power washing the exterior wall of his motorcycle shop uncovered the likely 90 yr. old Black Bear Brand advertisement!
This building was built in 1924 and was general store through the 1940s.
A JOURNEY FUELED BY HUMAN CONNECTION AND CREATIVE EXPLORATION with the IWC Journal
A designer should embrace adventure, leaping at opportunities to travel, collaborate, and to find inspiration. Exploration, learning, and human connection are paramount to me. The quest is driven by a passion for design, materials, processes, and uncompromising details, which often leads to the places where ruggedness, beauty and romance collide. - Josh Sirlin
Japan is captivating! It was the third year of the resurrection of the 100-year-old Black Bear Brand that I first visited Tokyo to create with some amazing craftsmen. Those business relationships quickly led to some very strong friendships. Early on, I was invited to visit Free Way Custom Motorcycles in the city of Oita for a vintage motorcycle ride. I have since become close friends Kenichi Mizutani, a legend for building custom and antique motorcycles. Like many that I’ve collaborated with in Japan, Kenichi is uncompromising in his craft. Read the complete story on the IWC Journal.
