Vintage Sweatshirts

[jubei]

I've been wanting one for a long time to go with my SC 47s... Can anyone make recommendations as to good Japanese repro brands? I like the price and the look of these Champion repros (this one's a hooded parka, but I'm also interested in crewneck sweatshirts):

http://www.rakuten.co.jp/super-rag/509724/509965/#549706

I'd also be interested in what to look for in a real vintage sweatshirt... big cuffs, and the vstitch are some of the things I've heard are desirable, but what type of material were most sweatshirts made of at the time? 100% cotton, 80/20 cotton/poly blends?

[holotekor]

polyester was first used in clothing in 1951..... and used by dupont... id go all cotton

[LIVENUDEGIRLS]

what exactly is reverse weave and why is it desirable?

[jubei]

^I'm gonna take a stab at this, even though I'm not 100% right... from what I understand, with reverse weave the fibers of the cotton are twisted the other way, giving a fluffier, softer feel. This is because the threads are "open", rather than twisted "shut" so the fibers pile and fluff up.

I think.

[Geowu]

Buzz Rickson? Loopwheeler? I think the hanging knitting machine (loopwheeler) is by no means exclusive to the brand Loopwheeler. Other brands use it too. The same goes for the "flat seams" or whatever it's called. Both of these are very desirable. Full Count uses, in adition to the seams and the machine, long staple Zimbabwean cotton, picked only once a year as in the vintage time in US.

[tomato7]

http://www.weplay.com/Champion/sweatshirts/reverse-crew.html

the original and still the best

ignore the oversize fit in the pics

but they do come up quite large

[jubei]

ugh... that's like the opposite of the fit I'm looking for. I like the vintage cuts that are a lot "beefier" (for lack of a better word)... shorter torso, more fitted arms, boxier overall.

[damnIam]

HP and Aero are the only ones I know of right off the bat. Both are really nice looking.

Unless you get a repro or original you won't find one with the trim cut and 4 inch cuffs and waist band though. They just don't make them like that anymore. Ebay has a few of the Red LVC ones with the HAP JONES script on the front.

[tomato7]

jubei-ignore the fact the woman in the pic is obviously deranged and wearing a sweatshirt that is about 10 sizes too big.

champion reverse weave is pretty much what all the japanese companies aspire to-certainly historically

the ones on the site are more than o.k.

[diewhitegirls]

ugh... that's like the opposite of the fit I'm looking for. I like the vintage cuts that are a lot "beefier" (for lack of a better word)... shorter torso, more fitted arms, boxier overall.

Is this what you're refering to? If so, this is the most basic hoodie on the planet. Short torso, tight feel, tight arms.

[mizanation]

is that a vintage champion? how does it differ from a "modern" champion.

btw, i am waiting for a PBJ hoody from BiG. they have the sweatshirts for sale and they are very, very nice.

[rnrswitch]

I want to buy this sweatshirt but history preservation only has size large and I want it to fit a bit snug.

[diewhitegirls]

is that a vintage champion? how does it differ from a "modern" champion.

btw, i am waiting for a PBJ hoody from BiG. they have the sweatshirts for sale and they are very, very nice.

I have no clue. I know it's not from the 70's, that's for damn sure. The parameters that he was looking for seemed to fit this shirt, so I wasn't sure if he wanted a vintage look or an actual vintage hoodie.

[vivaloschet]

I think the reverse weave is a means to control shrinkage--rather than shrinking vertically so that they become too short (a big problem with vintage sweatshirts), the reverse weave makes them shrink horizontally.

This japanese webpage sells some incredible vintage sweatshirts: http://www.redcloud.co.jp/top.htm

The big difference between vintage and modern champion is that vintage--pre-1970 or so--will be 100% cotton. Other big differences that may vary between model are the tag, the width of the ribbing at wrist and waist, and coverstitched seams. I think the ribbed side gussets are a fairly new innovation. At some point they changed to a 90/10 blend and now the blend is--I think--89/11, though it might have changed back to 90/10. Earthmarket sells some pretty cool sweatshirts made by barns: http://www.rakuten.co.jp/earthmarket/465018/

[andy dufrane]

i got this edwin sweatshirt. its really a beautiful shirt and its just sitting in my closet. never worn still has the tags. let me know

[familyman]

So what makes a good sweatshirt? The yarn or the knitting or the sewing or the obvious answer of all three? I can finally understand denim but what makes a good knit?

[Denim Phenom]

This is taking obsession to a whole new level.

I thought the word parka was reserved for the actual jacket, not hooded sweatshirts.

[Serge d Nimes]

I collect sweatshirts, I love them. I have a lot of reverse weave ones but I dont like the big, puffy look of them and don't like the heavy cotton feel of them. My favorites are cotton poly blends from the late 70's to the early 80's. These are really light weight and comfortable. They age really well too, with cool looking vintage colors. They are mostly raglan, but you can find early 80's russles with a V mark. They are usually overlock stitched, which looks vintage and cool.

[headtowall]

I have a lot of old Champion reverse weaves. Not an expert on exact age or anything, but I like them okay. If you're going to get an old one, I'd size up one from what you normally wear.

I'm inclined to agree with Serge on the puffiness. I love the long wrist and waist bands, but could stand for the sleeves to be a little slimmer.

[Serge d Nimes]

oh, I forgot, there are some cool details on reverse weave sweatshirts. The twill runs horizontal instead of vertical, they are cut and sew insead of tubular, they have ribbing on either side of the torso and they usually have nice and thick ribbing on the cuffs and waistband.

[familyman]

I remember borrowing a reverse weave sweatshirt from a friend when I was a kid and noticing how stiff the fabric felt compared to a regualar sweatshirt. I know part of it was because it was much heavier but do reverse weaves soften up in time or are they always that much stiffer.

[vivaloschet]

So what makes a good sweatshirt? The yarn or the knitting or the sewing or the obvious answer of all three? I can finally understand denim but what makes a good knit?

personally, I think it is all in the cut. I like them to be slim fitting, have the inset v at the neck (preferably front and back), and to have long ribbing at waist and cuffs. And I really prefer that they be 100% cotton.

This is an early fifties champion that I own:

[jiomitori]

n/a

Edited December 6, 2022 by jiomitori
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[mizanation]

vivalo, that's an awesome sweatshirt. gotta get me some now.

[damnIam]

i got this edwin sweatshirt. its really a beautiful shirt and its just sitting in my closet. never worn still has the tags. let me know

What size is that badboy?

[jubei]

^^ That Champion is the type of sweatshirt that I'm looking for. I wish repros were easier to get stateside... I see vintage ones come and go and eBay, but sometimes the condition of the garment isn't the greatest, etc. I'd love to have the feeling of a thick, soft, well cut vintage sweatshirt.

I already have an evisu one that fits the bill, but it's of questionable authenticity... plus the design on the front has this super glossy screen printed graphic, which is not really my thing. Something emboridered would be really neat, but probably expensive.

[jubei]

So I need your guys' opinion:

Is this:

http://www.championcatalog.com/product/CS1954.html?cgnbr=C011000000

the same thing as this?:

http://item.rakuten.co.jp/hbich/c3-n121-170/

[partytaco]

RRL usually has a nice double V vintage cut sweatshirt in their stores in NYC....a lot of the times with some bad silkscreen on them but from time to time they seem to run them without and they were made on a loopwheeler machine or at least the one i have from a couple years ago was. big money but great quality.

[jiomitori]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=300035339042

YESSSSSSSSSS

[andy dufrane]

What size is that badboy?

its a small. i wear a medium and its to small for me.