If you’ve read some of my other articles, you already know my thoughts about polyester (read: The Polyester Myth). In terms of fleece, nearly all sweatshirts and sweatpants you’ll find out there are a minimum of 20% polyester and 80% cotton. In the past our fleece was the same, but several years ago we made the decision to phase this out and move to a 100% cotton fleece. Using higher quality yarn and more of it, this fleece is costly and hard to source - but the result is a sweatshirt where you absolutely know the difference when you put it on...
Which brings us to our new Oxford color. You’ll notice while all of our other fleece is 100% cotton, the oxford is “only” 97% cotton with 3% of that dreaded polyester. Why?
What is “Oxford”?
In the 1800s, Scottish knitters developed different styles of fabric, weaving yarn in different ways. To market them, they named them after prestigious Universities, including Oxford. That is where we get the name “Oxford” for the classic button down dress shirt.
Over time the weave pattern was used for new fabrics and in different applications, and eventually became associated with the first of those classic grey sweatshirts you’ll see in old college athletics photos. This heathered grey look became the staple color of sweatshirts and sweatpants through the 1900’s, and still is today.
The Specific Look
The timeless look of that mottled grey is only possible by weaving two different colored yarns together. Specifically, two yarns that hold the dye differently. Cotton yarn ages and fades over time in an organic, natural way (like denim), where polyester can be dyed and holds that color indefinitely (like a plastic bottle). When woven together, the different tones of grey produce a mottled, “heathered” look that gives the fabric some depth and dimension rather than simply a flat grey. As the fabric ages and wears in, this effect remains rather than simply fading away. That’s why really old sweatshirts can sometimes fade to almost white but still have those defined dark specks.
Our Commitment to Natural Fabrics
Despite wanting to use 100% cotton exclusively, the Oxford grey is simply too iconic, and too good-looking to ignore. We’ve had the color in our t-shirts since forever, and it was time to bring it to the sweatshirt and sweatpant.
To compromise, we chose a fleece with the least amount of polyester possible to achieve the look, which of course means as much cotton as possible. The result is an unbelievably comfortable, ridiculously soft, and frankly beautiful fabric that will never get scratchy, soften and break in wonderfully over time, and be the exact sweatshirt your kids will want to steal out of your closet 15 years from now.