Bear Threads Has Left the Building — We're in Florida Now

We made it.

After years of running a swim brief brand from Northern California — yes, you read that right — Bear Threads has officially relocated to Wilton Manors, Florida. And honestly? It feels like coming home.

I actually lived here briefly in the summer of 2024 and knew immediately this was where I wanted to end up. Wilton Manors just fits. The community feels right, the energy feels right, and there is an almost embarrassing amount of swim brief time available on any given day. For a guy who built a brand around men not apologizing for what they're wearing, being surrounded by men who very much do not apologize for what they're wearing is, let's say, professionally motivating.

Why Florida? Why now?

Let me be clear — California was good to me. Really good. Bear Threads was born there and Northern California gave us the space to build something from scratch. I loved living there and I still do.

But here's something people don't always realize about Northern California specifically — it is not the California of your imagination. NorCal isn't beaches and sunshine twelve months a year. In the winter it rains, the ocean sits at about 52 degrees (always), and trying to photograph swimwear in the winter when it's barely above freezing. That's honestly a big part of why we leveraged AI generated imagery over the winter— because getting authentic warm weather lifestyle content in NorCal in the winter is just not possible.

The guys I found up there are incredible and I consider them real friends who were nothing but generous with their time and their bodies. I hope to get them down to Wilton Manors soon because they deserve to be photographed somewhere that matches their energy.

But I wanted a new adventure. And Florida called.

What this means for Bear Threads

Being in South Florida puts us within arm's reach of some of the biggest bear and queer events in America. Lauderdale Tropical Bear Week. Orlando Bear Jamboree. Key West Bear Week. Cannonball. Pride celebrations across the region. These aren't events I'll be flying in for anymore — they're in my backyard. Expect to see Bear Threads showing up in ways we never could from 3,000 miles away.

It also means better content. More diverse guys, more diverse bodies, more authentic lifestyle photography that actually looks like it belongs on a swim brief brand. To mark the occasion we're launching new colors and new styles — because a new chapter deserves a new lineup.

To the NorCal crew:

You know who you are. Thank you for jumping in front of my camera, for wearing the suits, for believing in what we were building before it looked like much. Bear Threads wouldn't exist without you and I can't wait to get you down here.

To everyone else — welcome to the next chapter. It's going to be a good one.

— JD Bear 🐻
Built to Show Off. Now with year round sunshine.