The MILITARY PRINT SWEATSHIRT / CAPTAIN is a brushed loopback crewneck in Saxe Blue mid-weight 10oz. fabric made from tubular loopwheel-knitted cotton.

Loopwheel machines, known for their slow knitting pace, produce only a meter of fabric per hour, resulting in a unique, hand-woven-like texture. This technique gives the fabric a distinctive slubby hand feel and a washed look reminiscent of vintage American sweatshirts. The loopwheel fabric is knitted in Wakayama, Japan, using rare machines called Tsuriami-ki, requiring exceptional skill and technique, exclusively for The Real McCoy’s.

Unlike mass-produced sweatshirts, The Real McCoy’s sweat fabric is composed of three layers of yarn, with the balance of yarn counts and knitting tightness perfected through years of trial and error. The sewn-in gusset details add reinforcement, prevent neck stretching, and function like a sweatband.

The adoption of Breton sweaters and boat shoes on the mid-century East Coast reflected the aspiration of boating and maritime recreation in an era when leisure time was a growing status symbol of the high society. Nautical symbols and ranks became synonymous with New England and collegiate style.