Our Story

We are Zoya and Dakota, founders of Bear & Birches.

Our story began long before the brand itself.

Throughout our lives, we have seen our father devote most of his time and effort to his work: saving the planet. At least for us, he became somewhat of an environmental hero. Traveling and negotiating new international policies that would change the world. At a young age, we never understood that, nor did we try to.  

Since our childhood, he highlighted two important lessons: “Never be afraid of failures” and “Never pass up the opportunity to change.” Two years ago, when asked him - half jokingly - what is the result of his working on those international treaties and policies, when the global environment remained somewhat unchanged, he repeated that “change is a choice and action. It is used in our daily lives much like other things. If we want change, we must implement it in the littlest things." 

And just like that, it hit us: if we want to see change, we must start with something as small but essential as the clothes we wear. 

As we developed this idea, we leaned towards another figure in our lives. Our uncle, a seasoned corporate leader who had influenced us through a more financial lens. He showed us the challenges we might face on this endeavor, and through him, we made the choice

Between those two figures, Bear and Birches was born. 

What started as an idea soon became a reality. Building it from the ground up became a lot harder than expected, which then one of us then made the decision to leave college to help lay the foundation full-time. With our father’s values and our uncle's guidance, we poured our time and energy into a belief that fashion can be done differently. 

We founded Bear & Birches to create denim that endures — made with intention and care. Denim that resists throwaway culture. We have curated an idea for two years that we should present a product that gives back more than it takes. This has been a part of every decision we made, from sourcing to stitching, which comes back to one question: How do we want to leave this world? 

When you wear Bear & Birches, you’re not just wearing another piece of denim. You become part of a story built on purpose, intention, and the promise of doing things the right way.