Heritage apparel brand Russell Athletic, oft credited as the inventor of the sweatshirt, has collaborated with New York City-based Ceeze Creative Studios to reimagine some of the brand’s vintage styles and materials.
Drawing on Russell Athletic’s 1970s and 80s archived brand catalogues, Ceeze has reworked some of the brand’s most well-known outerwear and jackets by upcycling current inventory into two colorways of “Homecoming Varsity Jackets.” The coats feature repurposed Russell Athletic sweatshirts as the jackets’ core, with cactus leather sleeves, selvedge poplin lining and sustainably sourced ripping trim imported from Italy.
Adding in some Varsity level details, Ceeze has developed custom chenille patches across the jacket featuring the Russell Athletic R crest, along with smaller patches spread out between the sleeves.
Russell Athletic and Ceeze will release a “hyper limited run” of the Homecoming Varsity Jackets, with only 15 units available in each colorway. Each jacket will come with a custom hangtag and the same attention and specialty treatment for which Ceeze has become known through its bespoke items.
The jackets, priced at $425, will be released on Nov. 19, at noon Eastern Time at ceezemc.com.
Last month, Russell Athletic announced a partnership with Alphabroder, a distributor of imprintable sportswear and accessories in North America. Through this partnership, an assortment of core styles from Russell Athletic will be available at five distribution centers in California, Texas, Illinois, Pennsylvania and Georgia.
Russell Athletic, based in Bowling Green, Ken., is a subsidiary of Fruit of the Loom Inc.. Fruit of the Loom’s portfolio of brands also includes Spalding and Vanity Fair.