Champion Europe’s new campaign ‘Fabric of a Champion’ hits the ground running, starring Clash favourite Loyle Carner the narratives explore the story of the brand’s pioneering Reverse Weave sweatshirts and invention of the ‘hoodie’ from American colleges through to modern street culture.
The film is written and narrated by award-winning musician / artist Loyle Carner; his effortless, spoken-word delivery helps to weave the origin of Champion and its fabric through time. The drop lands neatly timed with Tom Misch and Loyle Carner reconvening on new single ‘Colourblind’.
The two go back a long way – close friends, they’ve worked on a number of projects together. Tom Misch has inputted on Loyle’s records, adding a dash of elan here and there, while Loyle has in turn added his voice to a number of Tom’s key moments. Understated, the production has a minimalist feel, with the ticking beat set against some lush, pointed guitar moments from Tom Misch. Carner works with signature exacting accuracy, his pen game illuminated by a commitment to truth-telling.
Founded in 1919 in Rochester, New York, Champion invented the hooded sweatshirt in the 1930s which was originally developed as a warm-up or ‘sideline’ garment to keep athletes warm. From the 1930s to today, Champion’s premium sweatshirts and hoodies are underpinned by ‘Reverse Weave’ engineering, a premium design construction technique that prevents shrinkage by flipping the fleece upright and cutting it on the cross-grain.
Speaking on his partnership with the brand, Loyle Carner added, “Champion has been very present in the culture I grew up around. With the words, we were trying to say how it feels to be a link in that chain. If the only constant is change, you’ve got to evolve or be extinct.”
Created by Manchester-based Nynex, alongside Champion, the ‘Fabric of a Champion’ campaign is out now. Tune in now and tap-in with Champion on their socials.
