Champion: From Knitting Knickerbockers to Dominating Streetwear

The Early Years

Even before there was a Champion, there was the Knickerbocker Knitting Company.

Founded way back in 1919 following World War I, the Knickerbocker Knitting Company was established in Rochester, New York by brothers Abraham and William Feinbloom. Recognising America’s ever-increasing love for sports, the Feinbloom brothers soon began creating a line of athletic wear known as Champion. The line was headed by high-quality sweatshirts and sweatpants, and bypassed the traditional retail route entirely – instead of selling Champion to the public via retailers, the brand was instead sold directly to universities to supply to their students and athletic squads. The University of Michigan was the first school to partner with the company, and others quickly followed suit. Champion has remained a campus mainstay ever since.

Reverse Weave

What set Champion apart from the competition was undoubtedly the brand’s pioneering Reverse Weave.

Created in the mid-1930s, Champion’s Reverse Weave revolutionised athletic wear production by creating tubular pieces with the grain of the fabric running horizontally. As a result of the horizontal weave, Reverse Weave pieces were – and still are – renowned for their ability to maintain their shape and withstand shrinkage; teams could repeatedly wash all of their uniforms and practice gear and know that the pieces would still fit perfectly even after repeated wear and countless wash cycles. The addition of stretchy knit side panels on the sweatshirts and gussets on the sweatpants further aided in that beloved fit and durability.

Continued Innovation

While the Reverse Weave may be Champion’s calling card, it’s hardly the brand’s only innovation. In fact, they have been responsible for a variety of patents that have long been taken for granted. For example, Champion was the first company to produce double-sided/reversible tees, and they even crafted the first-ever sports bra by sewing two jock straps together in the 1970s. The brand is also responsible for creating the breathable mesh that came to dominate the likes of football jerseys and basketball uniforms in the 80s and 90s, and patented processes for letter and number flocking, as well as screen printing.

Champion’s single most important invention, however, was the hoodie. Thanks to the practical protection provided by the added hood, the hooded sweatshirt was a sideline staple from the get-go, and an instant classic.

Sportswear Dominance

Thanks to the aforementioned innovations, and the brand’s ubiquity on collegiate campuses, Champion were able to parlay their success into lucrative licensing deals with countless universities and leagues across the sporting realm. Sparked by their initial signing with Michigan, Champion vastly expanded their collegiate licensing deals through the National College Athletic Association (NCAA) before linking up with the NFL in the 1970s. Perhaps most importantly, though, Champion was the official outfitter for the NBA during the golden era of the 1990s, including dressing the Dream Team for the 1992 Summer Olympic Games in Barcelona. When Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Charles Barkley, and company mopped up the court with the competition that summer, they did it while rocking Champion’s iconic ‘C’ on their chests.