Back in the 1970s, sportswear hurdled off the running track and into the wardrobes of civilians, where it has remained ever since. Who can blame us eh? Super comfortable, easy to maintain, no ironing required and if it’s good quality to begin with – it should age brilliantly as well. At Universal Works, loopback jersey has always had a special place in our hearts. Reminiscent of those Ivy League classics, our sweatshirts bring colour and a modern, athletic character to your daily rig. You’ll notice we’ve added a subtle little ‘UW’ logo patch to each and every one, just to reinforce that winning track & field vibe.
Universal Works founder David Keyte was determined to develop a fabric that not only looked like the celebrated sweatshirts of the past – but felt like them too. This required some serious yarn science, which he explains, “Was all down to the fact that we wanted that unique dry hand-feel that you get with the vintage American sweats, so we needed to develop an authentic loopback fabric instead of the mass produced, fleece-back stuff that you generally find these days (which is cheaper but doesn’t look good for long).
We chose an organic cotton loopback that was made from a slightly irregular yarn to give it more strength and surface texture, which we developed in Portugal with a small, but innovative company who make jersey for some of the world’s most celebrated brands. They’re based in an area of Europe well-known and respected for their jersey-making expertise – so we knew we were in good hands! It’s a great fabric that adds less pesticides to our plant life and will be a stable part of our collection for years to come, so yes, for me, it’s special.”
Available now in the Classic Crew or Half Zip – you’ll wonder how you ever managed life without it.
