Champion’s Best Hoodie (by a Mile) Is Rare and Extra Affordable Right Now

According to legend, Champion invented the hooded sweatshirt in the 1930s.

A resurgence in the 2010s reclaimed the American sportswear brand’s place as the most prominent name in hoodies.

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Champion makes a variety of hooded sweatshirts, but the Reverse Weave Hoodie is the brand’s signature product. Priced at $75 and often available for less, it is pound-for-pound the best option on the market.

However, a particular variation of the Reverse Weave Hoodie offers a noticeably higher quality for a minor price hike. The problem is that it isn’t easy to find and is, therefore, relatively unknown.

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It is called the Champion Classic Hoodie and is part of a small Reverse Weave collection that builds the brand’s coveted fabric from 100-percent cotton instead of the cotton and polyester blend found in the standard variety.

Fortunately, British retailer End has the full Champion Classic Reverse Weave collection. Better still, it is currently on sale for 15 percent off, making the brand’s best hoodie only $10 more than its standard option.

Cotton is king

At first glance, the only differences between Champion’s Classic Hoodie and its standard Revere Weave Hoodie are a slightly looser fit and a contrasting rope drawstring.

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The more impactful difference is in the composition of the fabric.

Champion’s Reverse Weave fabric is an innovation that dates back to the 1940s. It is a simple but effective concept of turning the terry weave 90 degrees so that it is prone to stretching vertically, rather than horizontally.

It helps keep the garment’s shape by reversing the orientation of the fabric. The other half of the design is the side ribbed panels that provide controlled lateral stretch.

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The issue is that adding artificial fibers to the fabric compromises the effect of the Reverse Weave design. Champion, which has been owned by Hanes since 2006, has added polyester to the cotton at increasingly higher percentages for at least the past decade.

Based on my collection of Champion Reverse Weave Hoodies, the blend was 86/14 cotton to polyester around 2014, followed by 82/18 roughly five years later and is now advertised at 77/23 on the brand’s website.

The more polyester in the mix, the more affordable the fabric, but this also compromises its integrity. In my experience, higher percentages will cause the terry fabric to feel stiffer over time and won’t retain its shape as well.

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As the quality of the standard Reverse Weave fabric gradually deteriorates, Champion offers a 100-percent cotton alternative in the Classic Hoodie.

At 400 grams per square meter, the pure cotton Reverse Weave fabric is comparable to coveted, pricier terry hoodies from brands like Reigning Champ and House of Blanks. It even matches the fabric quality used in Champion’s long-running collaboration with Todd Snyder.

A succinct collection

The Classic Hoodie is part of a capsule collection of 100-percent cotton Reverse Weave staples. It includes sweatpants with an open hem or elastic cuff, a crewneck sweatshirt, a t-shirt and a full-zip hoodie.

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All the items in this premium lineup come in the core colors of navy blue, black and marled gray. They all share a looser fit with the Classic Hoodie, emulating Champion apparel from the 1980s and 1990s, which is highly sought after on the vintage market.

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A quick browse through Champion’s website reveals that the standard Reverse Weave collection is not as robust as it used to be. The Classic Hoodie and its companion pieces are the best non-collaboration items that the brand offers, and they aren’t even available on its website.

Availability and Price

The Champion Classic Hoodie and the rest of the 100-percent cotton Classic Reverse Weave collection are available from End.

This sturdier version of the iconic hoodie is currently $84 during End’s 15 percent off sale, which includes the entire Champion collection.

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Champion Classic Reverse Weave Hoodie

• $99 at End

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