Champion is a nearly 100 year old institution built on American heritage and quality athletic garments. When we set out to make this crewneck we knew Champion’s Reverse Weave would be the best direction to go, knowing the brand's rich history and the fact that the crewneck has the side ribbing and athletic fit you have become accustomed with Jiberish. 

 

Garments are traditionally knit vertically as it is a faster and more cost-effective method. However, after producing sweatshirts for the Michigan Wolverines and Champion products being adopted by the US Military for training purposes there was a need for an extremely durable product that could withstand washes without damaging the product. Since the inception of the reverse weave in 1934, there have been few sweatshirts more durable and trusted. Champion began stitching in a superior traverse method with the grain of the fabric running sideways and eventually patented this method in 1952. 

 Champion has produced athletic wear for many major colleges, the NBA during the 90s, the NFL during the 80s and 90s, and was a staple of many peoples wardrobes throughout the 80s and 90s. Quality in clothing has to start somewhere. For sportswear, it was Champion’s Reverse Weave. The reputation for functionality and durability resonated so strongly with our brand and the design we felt it was the only move for this piece. Shop the Crewnecks here.

During World War II, the U.S. Army's 10th Mountain Division was founded and trained skiers and climbers to fight in the most difficult, mountainous terrain in Europe. Their training at Camp Hale, near Leadville, CO, included skiing, snowshoeing, and rock climbing. Soldiers were trained in cold-weather survival tactics, lived in mountains for weeks at a time, and worked in altitudes of up to 13,500 feet where temperatures dropped to 20 degrees below zero overnight.

At the end of 1944, the 10th Division was deployed and began the first of a series of assaults against the German army in the northern Mountains of Italy. On the night of February 18th 1945, the 10th Mountain Division troops climbed and took Riva Ridge in the dark, surprising the Germans, who did not hold guard at night because the conditions were so difficult they did not believe any American unit could climb the ridge, day or night. The day after, more than 1,000 of the 13,000 10th Division troops would be lost, but the U.S. would take Mount Belvedere.

The war ended six months later. Soldiers and officers from the 10th Mountain Division returned home, many to the mountains, and formed the foundation of the U.S. ski industry. Working as ski instructors, ski school directors and coaches, they helped establish resorts in Colorado such as Winter Park, Arapahoe Basin, and Vail.