First popularized in the 1920s, Cotton Sweatshorts were a natural evolution from sweatpants in athletic wear. Sweatpants were originally designed as comfortable and practical attire for athletes to wear in between competitions but their success meant they were being used on the track and field too. This gave need for a short version that was more appropriate for certain sports. Manufacturers took note of athletes cutting off the legs of their sweatpants and they soon entered mass production by the late 20s.

These sweatshorts, in a 9oz. Loopwheel knitted cotton is an unbrushed loopback French Terry, making it more breathable than its brushed counterpart. Loopwheel machines on which this tubular constructed fabric is made, are renowned for their slow knitting pace, producing only a single meter of fabric per hour. However, this low thread tension technique is what sets them apart from contemporary manufacturing methods and creates an exceptional and distinctive fabric. The resulting material is reminiscent of hand-woven textiles and possesses a unique stretchy quality and washed look of old American sweatshirts that can only be reproduced on a loopwheel knitting machine. This loopwheel sweat is knitted in Wakayama, Japan, using extremely rare machines, known in Japan as Tsuriami-ki and even rarer skill and technique, exclusively for The Real McCoy’s.

Unlike mass-produced sweats, The Real McCoy’s use different yarns across the layers of the sweat to achieve the optimal finish, density and comfort.