Origins of the Sweatshirt

The sweatshirt first appeared in 1925 and denoted a collarless, long-sleeved, oversized pullover made of thick, fleecy cotton. The earliest sweatshirts were simple, grey cotton designs, utilitarian gear worn by athletes training for boxing, jogging and gym work. Sweatshirts not only provided warmth but also possessed the functional ability to absorb sweat during exercise.

The sweatshirt evolved to include the zippered front and a 'hoodie' and soon matching sweatpants, creating an ensemble known as the jog-suit, tracksuit, or sweat-suit, and it became widely popular in the 1970s along with the jogging craze. Contemporary derivatives included short-sleeved or sleeveless sweatshirts and even sweat-skirts.

The Sweatshirt as a Wearable Billboard

The sweatshirt's potential as a portable advertising tool was discovered in the 1960s when U.S. Universities began printing their names on the medium.

For students and parents alike, university names on sweats became the preferred casual attire for exhibiting school pride. The sweatshirt and the T-shirt provided a cheap and effective way of disseminating information on a mass scale. The T-shirt slogan fad of the 70s inevitably moved to sweatshirts, elevating them to become a vehicle for personal expression.

The Coming of Extreme Sports

The rise of extreme sports in the 1980s, such as windsurfing, surfing and skateboarding, injected a new level of 'cool' into the sweatshirt. For windsurfers and surfers, the sweatshirt became a practical component of beachwear, a casual garment that's hardwearing, utilitarian and utterly practical. The sweatshirt provided the apparent solution to quick warmth post-ocean exercise, facilitating drying by absorbing excess water. Today, we have the change-robe poncho as a practical solution for changing and drying at the beach.

Mistral sweatshirts since 1976 have offered some of the finest quality designs for your ocean sports lifestyle. Practical, cool, collectable and forever a favourite, no fuss, essential casual living garment. Invest in something you'll love and wear, over and over again, to become not just a garment but an old friend and a comforter.