This video is sponsored by NordVPN. You’re no stranger to the sunrise. You know dedication is
keeping a promise to yourself. You do what you dream about. What do you wear? Champion is an all-time favourite
among fashion designers, rappers, streetwear addicts, and even supermodels. Many recognize its high-profile
collaborations with some of today's hottest brands, including
SUPREME, Vetements, and OFF-WHITE. But few know the history
behind its 100-year legacy. After inventing the hoodie, sports
bra, and anti-shrink technology, Champion rose into becoming the
official outfitter for the NBA — and then fell into being a Walmart product. Today, it's survived into becoming
a premium brand that can be embraced by and worn by any. In 1919, Simon Feinbloom and his
sons, Bill and Abe, started a company in Rochester, New York. It was called the
Knickerbocker Knitting Mills. It focused on making heavy-knit sweaters
and wool underwear for outdoor workers. Competition was stiff. Knickerbocker’s direct competitor, Russell
Athletic, was on its way to becoming the largest manufacturer of its kind. They not only changed athletic wear
from wool to cotton but invented the iconic crewneck sweatshirt. It was around then that the
Feinblooms realized they could only survive by innovating and
expanding their product line. So they pivoted from focusing on outdoor
workers to athletes and changed their company name to Champion Athletics. Afterwards, they pivoted their selling
strategy by striking a partnership with Michigan State University. They became the official outfitters
for Michigan’s football team and later all of their sports teams. Michigan coaches were so pleased
with Champion’s products that they raved about it to others. From then on, Champion continued
to sell directly to college sports teams across the U.S. It was a wise move that led
to recognizing the need for a product that started its legacy. Around the 1930s, Champion noticed an
ongoing problem among all athletes. They struggled to stay warm when
training during cold conditions. So Champion teamed up with Moe’s
Sport Shop to design and develop a garment that would protect them. The outcome: a sweatshirt
with an added hood. That same year, Champion pioneered a
new technology called the Reverse Weave. It prevented its hoodies from
shrinking during the washing process. Champion was then adopted by
many in need of high-quality uniforms — including the U.S. Military Academy. But at the same time, it was also
being worn by those who didn’t need to follow a dress code. According to VICE, Champion gained
popularity among college students as casual wear, particularly as
jocks would give their track gear to their girlfriends to wear. Still, the Feinblooms remained focused
on creating products for athletes and making Champion a leader in sportswear. In the late 60s, they invented the mesh
nylon jersey to combat heat exhaustion for football and basketball players. Afterwards, they started to make
products for female athletes and invested in pioneering the sports bra. In spite of their continued focus
on athletes, Champion started to transition from being seen as merely
sportswear or casual wear to street style — all thanks to its iconic hoodie. At the time, hip-hop culture
was emerging in the Bronx. Many artists and break-dancers would wear
Champion hoodies as their go-to uniform. Graffiti artists, in particular,
liked that it provided an inexpensive, accessible, and practical way
to conceal their identities. Meanwhile, skate culture was emerging
on the other side of America. Like graffiti artists, they shared
a spirit of rebellion and wore hoodies when sneaking into car
parks, reservoirs, or empty pools. In an interview, fashion journalist,
Gary Barnett, shared that it was around then that Champion ceased
to be just an athletic item and more of a real fashion statement. But that didn’t affect Champion’s
credibility in the world of sports. They forged ahead with signing deals
with the NCAA, NFL, and NBA, and generated over $200 million in sales. One conglomerate took notice and offered
Champion a lucrative deal — one that would either build or destroy their legacy. In the late 80s, the Sara Lee
Corporation offered the Feinblooms $320 million for Champion. It may have come as a surprise to some
since they were a food conglomerate. But they were heavily focused on
diversifying their brands and had already expanded into knitwear by acquiring Hanes. By the time Sara Lee made its offer,
they had already grown the Hanes business significantly — setting an example
of what could become of Champion. The Feinblooms accepted Sara Lee’s
offer and took the $320 million in cash. Not long after, Champion fell
into the spotlight for reasons beyond their acquisition. It became more embraced by hip-hop
and skate culture and was seen as a symbol for music, art, and rebellion. By the early 1990s, hardcore bands
and almost every hip-hop group started to rock Champion — including Gorilla
Biscuits, Wu-Tang, Onyx, and Gang Starr. Meanwhile, skate brands like
Underworld Element began to spoof their “C” logo on decks and clothing. And then in 1992, Champion made history
by taking part in one of the greatest moments in American sports history. They became the official
outfitter for all NBA teams. And their jerseys were proudly worn
by the Dream Team: the first group of NBA stars who could compete in
men’s basketball at the Olympic Games. The group included Michael Jordan,
Scottie Pippen, Charles Barkley, Karl Malone, Magic Johnson, and Larry Bird. While being part of this historic
moment helped Champion gain global recognition, it wasn’t enough to help
them withstand what would happen next. Before we get into the next part of the
story, our team would like to quickly thank the champion of this video: NordVPN. Back in 2012, four childhood friends
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over to nordvpn.com/hook and use our special discount code: hook. In the early 2000s, Sara Lee took a
step back from the clothing industry. They became more invested
in their food brands and put Champion on the selling block. This likely came as a surprise to
many since Champion signed a lucrative contract with the XFL that year. They became the official outfitter
for the league’s eight teams and were given exclusive retail
rights for replica jerseys. The deal may have caused some push back
amongst Sara Lee’s executives since they only sold Champion’s European division. Had they predicted what would happen
next, they may have sold it all together. XFL ratings are down 75% from week one. They now rival the lowest ratings ever
in prime time, not just for a sports program but for any television show. Only one year after the XFL contract
was signed, the league folded. Champion not only lost a lucrative
contract but their reputation for outfitting winning teams. From then on, Sara Lee paid
little attention to Champion, and consumers followed suit. As a result, Champion’s spotlight was
taken away by brands like Nike and Adidas — forcing the once highly-coveted brand to
sell its products in Walmart and Target. Two years later, Sara Lee
officially announced that it would only focus on its food brands. And that Hanes would become the new parent
company for all of its clothing brands. The news may have led some to believe that
Champion’s luck was about to turn around. But Hanes made the mistake of
setting up fragmented licensing deals and launching generic
products — which only made Champion fall further behind its competitors. In fact, it took nearly a decade
for Champion to be given an opportunity to rebuild its legacy. And it’s all thanks to a man who
was once a flea market vendor. In 2015, a former flea market vendor by
the name of James Jebbia turned his skate label into a legendary streetwear brand. It was called Supreme. Week after week, their
in-house collections sold out. So it was likely no surprise to anyone
when they announced a collaboration with Michael Jordan that year. But it may have been a shock to many
when they announced another collaboration with a forgotten brand: Champion. Together, Supreme and Champion released
a hoodie that saw a fair amount of success and led to more collaborations. It was then that Champion’s
luck started to turn around. In 2016, Hanes bought their European
division back — which kickstarted their return to the spotlight. Champion released a reversible sweatshirt
with Vetements, which saw huge success. To capitalize on the momentum,
they collaborated with more brands and released a full collection
of sweatshirts and sweatpants. Soon after, Complex listed Champion
as one of the best brands of 2017. That same year, Champion opened its
first stores in London’s SoHo district and Amsterdam's Jordaan neighbourhood. One year later, Champion reached
nearly $1.4 billion in global sales and opened its first U.S. stores in Los Angeles, New
York, Boston, and Chicago. They also made headlines for launching
more high-profile collaborations with Supreme, Vetements, OFF-WHITE, Stussy,
Bape, BEAMS, Timberland, KITH, and atmos. Celebrity endorsements included
Chance The Rapper, 50 Cent, The Game, and Kylie Jenner. But both aren’t the only reasons why
Champion was able to make a huge comeback. Consumers became more interested in
athleisure fashion and brands with long histories and classic logos. Today, Champion remains a billion-dollar
brand that’s survived over 100 years in the clothing industry. They proved that the high and
low of fashion can work together. And that while there are many
contenders, there is only one champion. This is the story of how the
face of sportswear in America was abandoned by its company and then
made a comeback as a premium brand. For more inspiring stories about
today's most successful brands, don't forget to subscribe to our channel!
