Champion’s timeless classic “Reverse Weave” and recommended items!

Champion’s history with the birth of ” Reverse Weave

Champion has a strong active and sporty image, but its history also began as a sportswear brand. 1919, in Rochester, New York, its predecessor Simon Feinbloom established the Knickerpocker Knitting Company, which later became the Knickerpocker Knitting Company. After Simon’s death, his sons Abe and William continued the business as Champion Knitting Mills, Inc.

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The company develops a knitwear manufacturing and sales business, and orders for sweatshirts as underwear increase due to the high quality of the knitwear. The company attracted attention as training wear for the U.S. military and athletic wear for colleges and universities, and its collegiate popularity grew. In 1924, the University of Michigan adopted the brand as warm-up wear for its athletic department, and the brand became known throughout the United States.

The birth of Champion’s ” Reverse Weave ” and its patent

In 1934, Sam Friedland, a talented salesman who was also involved in product development, developed a reverse weave in response to user complaints that the fabric shrank when washed, which was prevented by weaving the cotton horizontally. In 1938, he succeeded in obtaining a patent for the product, which became synonymous with the Champion brand.

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The reverse weave, which had since established a firm position as athletic wear, was further improved to make it more resistant to collapse and significantly more athletic. Thanks to these updates, it was also granted a second patent in 1952.

Champion’s breakthrough as a sports brand in the 1980s

In Japan, Goldwyn began selling the Champion brand in Japan in 1975, and the brand was accepted by the lifestyle of young people in the U.S., a sports powerhouse, and penetrated Japan in a wide range of categories, including the kids’ category, etc. In 1984, the “C logo mark appeared on the left sleeve of sweatshirts and T-shirts. In 1989, Champion became the exclusive official uniform supplier for the NBA (and also supported the WNBA for women’s basketball in 1996), establishing Champion’s high status as a sports brand.

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In 2019, Champion will celebrate the 100th anniversary of its founding, and is still loved around the world as a casual sports brand.