New Champion global campaign is ode to the hoodie

By

Sandra Halliday

Published
Sep 21, 2022

Champion’s latest global campaign is part of its Be Your Own Champion platform and celebrates its “most iconic silhouette to date — the hoodie, invented by the brand in the 1930s”.

The Champion of Hoodies campaign was created in partnership with advertising agency Energy BBDO.

Nearly a century ago, the company clearly took a historic step with the addition of a single update to its product line — the hood — and it said that the addition “cemented the brand in both sports and fashion industries alike”. 

The point is to get across the brand’s invention of such a modern essential and how it’s suitable for people of all types and style tastes. Essentially, it “aims to highlight our place in fashion history,” the company said, adding that while the mantra of the campaign is that Champion invented the hoodie, the consumer owns it.

The campaign includes a video showing a wide variety of people wearing hoodies in the real and virtual world, as well as still images.

That hood was originally developed to protect athletes while they were on the sidelines to maximise their overall performance. But today’s hoodie range targets both athletes and lifestyle wearers. It includes the Reverse Weave, the Classic Fleece, and the Powerblend Fleece and the campaign shines a light on them. 

The Reverse Weave is the item that started it all. In 2017 it was recognised by the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) as one of the 111 items that shaped the history of fashion. The heavyweight piece features a cross-grain cut to avoid vertical shrinkage as well as ribbed stretch side panels for greater mobility and durability, along with a double-layer hood.