He perfected the sweatshirt.
1919 | Rochester, USA | Simon Feinbloom

In 1919, when America was experiencing an unprecedented economic boom, Simon Feinbloom, a Jewish immigrant who had come to America from Eastern Europe, founded the Knickerbocker Knitting Company, which sold knitwear. This marked the beginning of Champion's history.

Shortly after its founding, Simon passed away, and his sons, Abe and William Feinbloom, inherited his legacy. They renamed the company Champion Knitting Mills Inc. and began selling T-shirts, socks, and other products. Furthermore, the wool underwear they developed for workers was adopted as training wear by the U.S. military, which became the prototype for the modern sweatshirt.

In 1924, Champion expanded its sales channels by supplying sweatshirts to universities across the United States, starting with the University of Michigan, and its high quality became known throughout America. Champion's slogan at the time was "One Coach Tells Another," meaning that the high quality of Champion's sportswear became well-known among coaches and spread by word of mouth.

In the 1930s, they developed a lettering technique to print numbers and university names on products. Initially, this was for the purpose of managing the uniforms that universities lent to students, but this printing technique would later develop into the college sweatshirt.

In 1934, Champion developed the "Reverse Weave" technique, which was patented in 1938. This method, which uses fabric horizontally instead of vertically and incorporates vertical ribbing on both sides to prevent deformation and shrinkage, remains a signature detail of Champion sweatshirts to this day. Further improvements were made in the 1940s, including the addition of a gusset-like neck reinforcement and double stitching to increase sewing strength.

In the 1960s, synthetic fibers were added to the material of sweatshirts, which had previously been 100% cotton, and short-sleeved sweatshirts, hoodies, and a wide variety of colors appeared, expanding the product lineup. In 1967, the company name was changed to Champion Products, and two years later, the tricolor C logo, which has become the company's icon, was created.

In 1989, Champion became the exclusive official uniform supplier for the NBA, and in 1992, their uniforms were chosen as the official uniforms for the US National Basketball Dream Team at the Barcelona Olympics. It's widely known that Champion, a brand that continues to support athletes in various ways, is truly one of America's leading apparel brands.

Champion sweatshirts, with their smooth, comfortable feel thanks to carefully selected cotton and high durability achieved through years of continuous improvement, can truly be called the ultimate basic wear.