Origin Hoodie Oatmeal

Origin Hoodie (Pullover with Attached Hood)

The “attached hood” style is considered the prototype of the modern hoodie—essentially a sweatshirt with a hood sewn on. It was originally developed by Champion around the 1930s, designed to help workers endure the harsh winter cold. At the time, sewing thick fabrics was a technical challenge, and it wasn’t until new sewing methods were introduced that such garments became possible.

Vintage examples include versions in wool or cotton, some unlined, some double-faced with matching fabric, and others made with thermal fabric.
For this BONCOURA model, the interior is finished with brushed fleece rather than double-face, allowing for longer wear across seasons. The pocket design also differs from the common kangaroo style—BONCOURA has opted for separate pockets instead.

BONCOURA’s Genuine Loopwheeled Fleece

Just like our denim, BONCOURA’s loopwheeled fleece is created with an uncompromising focus—from the blending of raw cotton to the twisting of the yarn. The types and origins of the cotton determine the texture, hand feel, and color. By carefully combining these elements, we create the ideal fabric.

We place particular importance on the depth of color and the expression of heather tones. Even a 1% change in the cotton blend ratio produces a completely different shade. Through countless adjustments—spinning yarn, knitting samples, and testing—we pursued the exact color we envisioned, without compromise.

Another challenge is that even when yarn is test-knitted, it only shows a partial idea of the shade. Once the yarn is knitted on a loopwheel machine, the interior fleece color interacts with the outer fabric, influencing the final look. The only way to judge the outcome is to actually knit on the machine. Trusting our instincts and experience, we refined and completed the process.

To achieve greater depth, multiple cotton colors are blended to express a single tone. Surprisingly, no gray cotton is used to produce BONCOURA’s signature heather gray. Instead, unique tones are created through careful selection and blending of raw cotton, as well as original mixing techniques.

The fabric is knitted on rare, vintage loopwheel machines. Normally, such machines produce about 10 meters of fabric per day. With BONCOURA’s additional processes, daily output is reduced even further—to just 7 meters.

This equates to fewer than four hoodies per day. Inefficient as it may seem, this deliberate pace creates an unmatched texture and character that cannot be reproduced otherwise.

From Brushed Interior to Final Finishing

While raw materials and knitting form the foundation of the fabric, the finishing stage plays an equally decisive role in determining the touch and comfort. The brushed fleece finish greatly enhances softness and warmth.

Just as with loopwheel knitting, only a handful of highly skilled artisans in Japan can carry out this brushing process. BONCOURA partners exclusively with trusted workshops to achieve the desired finish.