When CYC Designs, the owner of Reigning Champ, first introduced 1×1 Slub — a soft, imperfect fabric that draped well and looked luxe — it was through another brand it owned, Wings+Horns. Wings+Horns’s designs were more fashion-forward, less sporty, which meant lifestyle silhouettes and straighter shapes. Their audiences demanded different fabrics — hence why Reigning Champ never used 1×1 Slub.
But it has now, since Wings+Horns shuttered in April 2021. Reigning Champ’s new Legacy of Slub quite literally furthers the fabric’s legacy through three different full rib construction designs, a T-shirt, a long sleeve T-shirt and a henley. They’re simple, sure, but it’s an exciting release for a brand revered for its heavyweight sweats, thick T-shirts and performance sets.
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“1×1 Slub was one of our most beloved fabrics from sister brand Wings+Horns, and its unique structure and feel was something that we always thought would work well with a more classic, athletic silhouette, utilized by Reigning Champ,” Reigning Champ’s Brand Director, Michael Belgue, says. “When we chose to bring it back, we thought that both W+H [Wings+Horns]clients and an entirely new RC [Reigning Champ] audience, whom might never have seen it before, would appreciate its unique characteristics.”
These unique characteristics come from, well, mistakes. Long before folks repeated the thicker slub cotton spots to create a pattern, instances where the fabric would untwist and bulge were originally considered defects. Now, when repeated, the quasi pattern is appreciate, especially since the lighter parts of the pattern appear almost translucent. This also creates a shirt with visual and textural interest.
Reigning Champ’s new slub set features all of the aforementioned styles (a T-shirt, long sleeve and henley) in four colors, black, navy blue, grey and white. They’re fairly priced, too, considering the quality. Each one is handcrafted in Canada with semi-raglan sleeves and flatlock seams.
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