How America's 'Greatest Hoodie' Is Made
American Giant
The zip-up hoodie, made by San Francisco startup American Giant, costs $89. As we have previously reported, it had been on the market for 10 months when a December 2012 Slate article declared it "the greatest hoodie ever made" and sales exploded.
Back-order waits grew to as long as four months and the company expanded from a single factory in Brisbane, Calif. to four additional factories.
We decided to take a closer look at how the hoodie is manufactured.
1. First, American Giant hired pattern designer Steve Mootoo to design the sweatshirt. Mootoo gave the hood a double lining and added ribbed panels at the shoulders to improve fit and allow for more flexibility, among other details.
The designs were turned into a tech pack, which is similar to an architectural blueprint for an item of clothing. The hoodie's tech pack, provided by American Giant, is shown below.
American Giant
3. The production process begins at the farms in North Carolina and South Carolina where the company sources its cotton.
American Giant
American Giant
American Giant
American Giant
"The fabric is 100% cotton with a tightly-knit exterior face for wind blocking," the company says. "It has a dry-hand feel to it, with a napped, soft back."
American Giant
"American Giant's sweatshirts have 69 different pieces, all cut by hand," the company says. "The fabric comes in rolls laid out flat onto cutting tables 30-40 layers deep. Each part is cut out by skilled tradesmen and then assembled (again, with the help of hands) on the production floor. This process is expensive and takes a lot of time."
American Giant
American Giant
American Giant/Facebook
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