Vintage sweatshirts
Vintage sweatshirt - One piece of clothing, 1000 possibilities
The essentials in brief:
- Translated word for word, sweatshirt means sweat shirt
- Vintage sweatshirts were first made of cotton, later made of elastane or polyester
- Benjamin Russell Jr. invented the vintage sweater for his son in 1926
- Vintage sweatshirts exist because of football
- Today vintage sweatshirts are used in many ways
- A vintage sweatshirt has no hood!
- The most successful vintage sweatshirt manufacturers are Adidas and Nike
- But other brands like Champion and Hanes are also wearable
Vintage sweaters - a little insight into their creation
The sweatshirt is best described as a sports sweater. The word origin is simple, from the English "sweat" like sweat and "shirt" like the shirt. In its origins, the vintage sweatshirt is simply a thick sports top.
At that time they were not made with elastic fibers like elastane or polyester, but made of thick cotton . This fabric has become an integral part of our sportswear, making it stretchy and comfortable. This also increases the practical use of the fabric , because it also makes the sweatshirts more tear-resistant. With vintage cotton sweatshirts, the fabric had the function of absorbing sweat.
The original vintage sweatshirt was invented in 1926 by Benjamin Russell Jr. - a football player. It started with a new idea for an all-cotton training football jersey. Founder Benjamin Russell's son was tired of the itchy wool jerseys and wanted to swap the chafing jerseys for something cooler and more comfortable.
Due to the iconic cut and the spread through pictures, for example, of footballers in the 50s, the vintage sweatshirt is known today as a warm outerwear that is also very popular outside of sports. Modern sweatshirts with a high plastic fiber content are no longer as durable. This is also due to the introduction of the lining threads , which ensure the cozy interior of vintage sweatshirts. The cuddle factor also has a disadvantage, the soft thread develops fluff due to friction.
The sweater is mainstream
Athleisure, i.e. the trend of wearing sportswear in everyday life, is no longer a niche. This focus on sportswear such as sweaters and Co. has also led many designers to devote themselves more closely to clothing. This is how design-related streetwear came into being. This is how jogging suits have become chic and of course we have them on offer for you in the sustainable version. In this combination, vintage sweatshirts with sweat jackets and jogging pants play the leading role.
Iconic films like Gentlemen , in which tracksuits are shown at their absolute best, make it clear that if you're brave and choose a nice pattern, you're never badly dressed.
A vintage sweatshirt is not just a vintage sweatshirt
With each passing day, the fashion industry is evolving. A lot has happened around the vintage sweater since it was born in 1926. Nowadays, the obese garment has several brothers, sisters, cousins.
Familial with the vintage sweatshirt are:
- sweat jackets
- fleece jackets
- cardigans
- sweaters
But that's not all. A vintage sweatshirt is not just a vintage sweatshirt. There are many different vintage sweater variants:
- Crew neck sweatshirt
- polo shirt
- Fitted vintage sweater
- pullover
- Athletic
- mock neck
- Zippered
- fleece
- Baja
- designers
- Knitted
- Short sleeved and sleeveless
- button up
- tunic
Vintage sweatshirts - What is behind the individual variants
Crew neck sweatshirt
It is the simplest or the purest form of the sweatshirt. It consists of a slightly heavy long-sleeved t-shirt with a crew neck. Crew neck means that the collars have no colors or patterns.
polo shirt
Polo sweatshirts are a little less causal than the regular sweatshirt. This is because they contain the style element of the polo, which mainly affects the collar.
Fitted sweatshirt
If you go to the gym these days, you will see one or two fitted sweaters. In recent years, the fitted sweatshirt has been worn more by women, a trend that is waning a little with each passing year.
pullover
A sweater is exactly what one might expect from its name. A piece of clothing that you can pull over your head and thus over other clothes. Sweaters are usually pretty basic. You could describe it as a middle ground between a jacket and a t-shirt.
Athletic sweater
This lightweight is produced equally for men and women. Sweaters are best for keeping you warm while jogging. Some people also used the garment in the gym or for leisure activities.
Mock neck sweater
The mock neck is the modern version of the well-known turtleneck. The top of the sweater consists of two layers. Another difference is that mock necks are wider and the neck has more bursts. Mock necks can be worn in both cold and warm weather.
Zippered vintage sweatshirt
There are different types of zip-up sweatshirts. The three sub-categories are Full-Zip, Half-Zip and Quarter-Zip. It would be an advantage to wear a t-shirt under the zippered sweatshirt, because you can't feel the cold from the metal of the zipper.
Fleece sweater
Fleece sweaters are usually very warm. With fleece sweaters, a distinction is made as to whether the fleece is attached to the inside, the outside or only partially on the sweatshirt. So far, the vintage sweater has been increasingly worn by women.
Baja sweatshirt
The Baja originally comes from Mexico and was only produced for the first time around 50 years ago. Bajas are available for both men and women and are mostly made of coarse wool, better known as jerga. Baja sweatshirts are popular because they are exceptionally soft.
designers
Designers are high-end, so they are usually thought of as elegant interpretations of cute clothing. The sweatshirts usually have a more stylish look than traditional sweaters, which is reflected in the price.
Vintage sweaters - these are our best brands
The best-selling brands in our store are the sweatshirts from the giants Gildan and Jeerzes - better known as Nike. Closely followed by the eternal competitor Adidas. The big sports brands are not really an insider tip. So I would recommend my own favourites. Champion Vintage sweatshirts are also a Nobrainer, with the Eco Line (less resource consumption in cotton production) and the Reverse Weave (thicker fabric) being particularly recommended. Champion's vintage sweaters are iconic and, to me, are on par with a Swoosh Nike sweater.
If you are particularly looking for cool prints and stickers, a vintage sweatshirt from Northern Reflections is the right choice. Animal and landscape motifs in particular are depicted on these vintage sweaters. Even if we only sell one-offs - these pieces are special. With a great look and rustic nature motifs, Northern Reflections and Best Company also convince with stable quality .
Hanes is also inexpensive and great for the basic look. Similar to Fruit of the Loom, Hanes is a blank manufacturer, which means that in addition to selling to end consumers, they mainly sell to companies that print their motifs on Hanes products. Nevertheless, Hanes is good as a manufacturer for basic looks and produces good vintage sweatshirts. The Ultra Cotton variants are particularly recommended, as the fabric density is also higher here. But for those who feel comfortable with Nike vintage sweaters and Adidas sweatshirts, Hanes is probably too understated for them.