AUTHENTIC ATHLETIC APPAREL Champion is a historic sportswear brand founded in 1919 in Rochester, New York, by the Feinbloom brothers. The brand specializes immediately in the production of t-shirts and sweatshirts dedicated to sportsmen, concentrating their efforts on the choice of the best materials and on the design of a superior, resistant and functional product. During the '40s it became official supplies of the United States army and exclusively produced the first reversible t-shirts for the Navy, continuing in the meantime to establish itself as a leader in sportswear, strictly Made in the USA. After years of research in 1952 Champion records what is considered the first real technological innovation in the world of sportswear: Reverse Weave. This particular method of construction of the garment stems from the need for American coaches of the 1950s to be able to wash their athletes' uniforms without risking ruining them. That's why to avoid vertical shrinkage, the fiber of the sweatshirt is turned horizontally when the garment is created, hence the name Reverse Weave. Instead, to avoid shrinking in the opposite direction, all sweatshirts are characterized by the two side inserts in the sides. Cuffs, neck and bottom also have the same characteristics as inserts in order to avoid heat dispersion during and after training. With the boom in the sports world of the 70s, Champion sweatshirts become a must and the brand continues to grow and expand its offer and with the 1980s it becomes an official sponsor of some US leagues, including the NBA: a historic partnership, which in the late 80s and 90s dressed the golden age of American basketball and all its champions, from Micahel Jordan to Kobe Bryant through Magic Johnson, Shaquille O'Neill and all the others. Then, with the spread of sportswear in the streets and with the birth of streetwear during the 90s, Champion becomes a true icon even among subcultures in America and Europe, affirming itself at the same time as a global brand that continues to grow and innovate. Thanks to the continuous collaborations with heavyweights of streetwear such as Supreme and Fuct and to meet the growing demand for classic style, the European division has recently worked on the Champion archives to reproduce the icons of the past, recovering the original designs and reinterpreting them through new colors and patterns. Considered in no uncertain terms the pioneer of the sweatshirt, today Champion returns to revive its Reverse Weave with a new color card and the use of all classic logos, as well as the new oversized versions that celebrate a timeless myth.
