Russell Athletic
Established 1902Founded in 1902 by Benjamin Russell, Russell Athletic produces uniforms for a wide range of sports. The original mill produced women’s undershirts and children’s undergarments. In 1932 Russell acquired Southern Manufacturing Company, which gave the company access to athletic team apparel.
Russell Athletics invented the crew-neck sweatshirt in 1920. Tired of the scratchy woolen jerseys, Benjamin Russell Jr. wanted something more comfortable and cooler to wear during his football matches. Russell Jr. took this idea to his father, who began experimenting with sweatshirts made of cotton. The signature detail is a small triangle around the collar, which is not there just for the looks, but also to reinforce the collar with an extra layer of webbing material. This extra support keeps the collar from stretching out. Today, the classic grey crew-neck sweatshirt is still one of the icons of the ’American style’.
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