A longtime user's guide to choosing brushed-back sweatshirts you won't need to replace right away

When it comes to warm materials, wool is the classic choice. But the itchiness of wool affects everyone differently—some people don't mind it at all, while others find even cashmere scratchy. For those with sensitive skin, choosing winter clothes can feel like an impossible choice: put up with the cold, or compromise on comfort…

As ZUTTO staff who carefully select and introduce quality sweatshirts, we don't think you should have to endure or compromise. We'd like to introduce sweatshirt brands that will keep you warm and comfortable through winter—and that you'll want to keep wearing year after year, rather than throwing away after just one season.

Table of Contents

・Introduction

・What it takes for brushed-back fabric to last

・The secret behind kitt's softness and resistance to wear over time

・HAAG, for a relaxed feel with every wear

・Reviews from repeat FilMelange staff customers

◆Introduction

First, we thought about the general image people have of sweatshirts. As sweatshirt lovers ourselves, our staff came up with these three main impressions.

"Comfortable, relaxing, and warm."

"Clean, since you can wash it at home."

"After repeated washing, it loses its fluffiness, so I end up replacing it after a year."

Losing that fluffy texture after repeated washing, or having the fabric stretch out at the elbows and shoulders from frequent bending—these changes are especially noticeable because sweatshirts look so crisp and full when new, which makes the wear and tear all the more disappointing. Because people want to keep wearing their sweatshirt while it still looks fresh, some may find themselves buying the same basic style again each year.

◆What It Takes to Wear One for Years

With that in mind, we thought about what qualities matter most if you want to cut down on how often you replace your brushed-back sweatshirt.

・A design that never gets old

・No stretching or sagging at the elbows or knees

・Still feels fluffy even after several years

A sweatshirt with an exquisite feel that clearly reflects its quality, and that lasts for years if you take good care of it—choosing one like that ultimately gives you real value for your money.

For those who share this way of thinking, we'd like to recommend sweatshirts from three brands: kitt, HAAG, and FilMelange.

◆The Sweatshirt Fabric of kitt

When we got our hands on the kitt sweatshirt that had just arrived at ZUTTO, we were struck by how soft and lightweight the fabric felt.

It has a stretch like mochi, a springiness like marshmallow, and when you slip your arms through, a reassuring warmth comes through. kitt's sweatshirts hold onto the basic design that comes to mind when you think of a classic—the kind of piece you'll still want to wear in five or ten years. It's the sort of standard you'd choose again, without hesitation, the next time around.

▲By brushing only the tips of the soft yarn, the fabric gets a fleece-like texture.

・The Secret Behind kitt's Softness and Its Resistance to Wear

Cotton comes in many types and grades, even though we often just call it "cotton."

The longer the cotton fiber, the higher its grade is considered to be. The highest grade is called extra-long staple cotton, and among extra-long staple cottons, Pima cotton stands out as especially fine quality. What are the benefits of longer cotton fibers?

A plush, smooth feel to the touch, a silk-like sheen in appearance, excellent moisture absorption and release, and durability, since the fibers resist breaking

…and the list of benefits goes on. It's easy to see why it's considered a luxury material.

For the fleece lining of kitt, Spanish Pima cotton grown in Andalusia, in southern Spain, is used. Remarkably, Spanish Pima cotton accounts for just 1% of all the already-rare, ultra-premium Pima cotton in circulation—a truly surprising figure.

The sweatshirts are made using this special fabric. kitt launched as a brand in October 2023, and even the person in charge of kitt has been wearing one for the past six months. We got a chance to see their well-loved piece.

▲A kitt sweatshirt worn for six months (in a color we don't carry)

The person in charge told us: "The feel of kitt's fabric comes from a softly twisted yarn called 'Sunlit Merrows,' made with Spanish Pima cotton. We use a thicker-gauge yarn within the Sunlit Merrows range to knit the fabric, which gives it a plush thickness and softness—and that's exactly why it resists losing its shape."

Being soft yet resistant to losing its shape is reassuring if you want a sweatshirt that lasts for years. And there's one more hidden point, we were told.

That plump, stretchy quality comes from a special knitting machine, modified in-house by Daiei Meriyasu, the factory behind kitt. By weaving stretch yarn into the weft, the fabric gains just the right amount of elasticity while resisting sagging.

"The ultra-fine bear yarn connecting the inside is also key—it acts like a spring, so the shape stays stable, and you can wear it for a long time without the length stretching out or the elbows and knees bagging out . Pilling will inevitably occur, but I think that's part of the fabric's charm too."

Holding the well-worn item in hand, we noticed it felt even softer than the new one, with a "plump" softness and stretch. It looked truly comfortable. Now that it's pointed out, there is indeed some slight pilling, but this isn't deterioration—it's simply another kind of character. Being able to see it this way is one of the good things about kitt.

▲Left: well-worn item, right: new item

"The brand name tag at the neck is intentionally attached so it can be easily removed, so I wear mine with it taken off. This comes from a wish for people to wear the material, not the brand. kitt is a one-of-a-kind material that you can recognize as kitt even without the name tag."

So says the person in charge at kitt. There are sweatshirts where the material of the name tag makes your neck or underarms itch, but this uncompromising pursuit of comfort made us feel their confidence in the fabric.

▲Item worn for half a year

Looking at the brushed interior, it remained in remarkably good condition, with almost no visible difference from a new one. When we asked how it had been cared for,

"You can wash it roughly in the washing machine and the shape won't change. If you turn it inside out and put it in a laundry net before machine washing, pilling is less likely to occur, and you can keep wearing it looking even nicer."

...is what we were told. It's surprising that such a fluffy fabric could be washed so roughly. This kind of handling would be difficult with knitwear, but the ease of care unique to sweatshirts made this kitt sweatshirt a delight.

◆HAAG Sweatshirt

A design that transcends trends and never grows tiresome. In this sense, HAAG's sweatshirt shares something in common with kitt. Being a basic design, the two also look somewhat similar in appearance, but the major difference between kitt and HAAG lies in a wearing experience that overturns the very concept of what a sweatshirt is—"it becomes softer with each wear, and the brushed fleece relaxes over time".

・A more relaxed feel with every wear

Brushed fleece has a reputation as a consumable item, growing stiffer and rougher with every wash. But choose HAAG's brushed fleece, and you'll discover the joy of long-term wear, as it becomes softer and the nap relaxes with every use.

HAAG is a brand developed by Smile cotton, and its texture is so good it has earned the recommendation of the Japan Atopic Dermatitis Association. This is a texture we'd especially recommend to those with sensitive or atopic skin who want to wear light, warm clothing but struggle with itchiness.

Smile cotton returns the yarn itself back to raw cotton (meaning the twist is loosened), so the fibers come to hold air plumply between them.

▲By letting air into the space between fibers, even the same 10g of cotton can have nearly twice the volume. (Source: https://www.smile-cotton.com/product)

Thanks to this, rather than relying on thread density as a shortcut, HAAG achieves a light wearing feel that fully holds air, drawing out the plump warmth of cotton to its fullest. So this is the reason behind HAAG's fluffy texture.

One important point when choosing a sweatshirt to wear for a long time is how it holds up to washing. Clothing made with Smile cotton—a fabric where the yarn itself is returned to raw cotton—reportedly doesn't become stiff and rough even after washing. Instead, the fibers relax with repeated washing, and the fabric becomes softer over time.

Here is also a graph showing just how warm HAAG's sweatshirts are.

The results show it holds nearly twice as much air, and its insulating properties are about twice as warm as ordinary cotton material. Wearing it ourselves, we felt much less of that initial chill, and the brushed interior was so fluffy that the body stayed noticeably warmer even in winter—the strengths of brushed fleece brought out to their fullest.

Furthermore, its absorbency and quick-drying properties are outstanding—Smile cotton is a material that can dry in about an hour on a sunny day. Comparative test results reportedly proved that it absorbs about twice as much as ordinary domestic cotton materials while drying far more quickly.

Warm and reliable, yet quick to absorb sweat and stay comfortable even when you perspire. Knit with a tightly closed weave, it has just the right thickness, yet feels surprisingly light for its appearance—this soft wearing feel is the true appeal of HAAG.

◆FilMelange Sweatshirt

The FilMelange sweat has a feel that's a step apart from the two sweats introduced above—once you put it on, you won't forget it. Its distinctive fabric is made by combining unevenly textured recycled cotton with beautiful extra-long staple cotton, carefully choosing the yarn count to pursue just the right loft, softness, structure, and expression.

Unlike a fluffy brushed-back lining, its texture is more like small, gathered nubs, giving it a distinctly soft feel to wear.

In fact, FilMelange has fans among the ZUTTO staff too. This time, we asked a staff member who says she simply loves FilMelange about its appeal.

◇ Staff Member M, a devoted fan

Years wearing FilMelange: nearly 4 years

How often worn in winter: 1–2 times a week

Q: What made you start wearing it?

Staff M

I simply love FilMelange sweats, and I add to my collection every year. I'm also in charge of buying for the shop, so it's one of the items I look forward to each year, wondering what new shapes or patterns will come out.

I'm not a big fan of the particular smell that vintage clothing often has, so even though I love the fabric and silhouette of vintage sweats, I could never quite bring myself to buy them. FilMelange thoroughly captures that vintage feel while still being wonderfully soft and comfortable to wear—that's what I love about it.

▲Indeed, even brand new, the slightly muted colors of the fabric and prints have that charming vintage look.

As you wear it, the fabric develops a bit of fuzz, and on pieces with prints, the print starts to crack a little. I love that these changes feel like a natural part of what makes this clothing what it is, and can be embraced so easily.

Q: How is the fit and warmth?

It's a unisex size, but women can choose size 3 without it being too large, and it layers easily under outerwear too. It also feels light to wear.

And it's far warmer than an ordinary sweatshirt. On especially cold days, I wear it over functional inner layers, and it keeps me very warm—I wear it every week. Since it's 100% cotton, there's none of the itchiness or static crackle you get with knitwear, so it's incredibly handy through the winter.

▲ Wearing size 3, height: 162cm

I live in an area with a lot of snow, and shoveling snow tends to make me sweat quite a bit. Knitwear is hard to wash, but this sweat can be washed without a second thought and is easy to move around in, so I reach for it in those situations too.

Q: You mentioned washing it a lot—how does the brushed-back lining hold up?

Let me show you the sweat I've had for four years now.

▲The reverse side. Remarkably, there are none of the little pills that brushed-back fabric usually gets.

▲Left: worn for 4 years, right: worn for 3 years

The outer fabric, too, has only developed a gentle fuzziness that deepens the character of its vintage-inspired design.

Even compared to a new one, there's nothing that really looks like significant deterioration. The one worn for 3 years has relaxed a little in its fabric, giving it a softer feel overall.

As for care, all she did was put it in a laundry net, wash it in the machine, and let it air dry. Staff M is careful never to use the dryer. She says that with repeated washing, the fabric starts out soft when new and gradually changes, becoming more snugly fitted over time.

Brushed-back sweats often carry a negative image—covered in little pills, or with fabric that sags and becomes unwearable as outerwear after just a few years. But thinking it over again, beyond simply staying plush through repeated washing, it seems the real key to choosing a sweat you'll love for years is finding one where even the "fuzziness suits it"—one where you can enjoy watching the garment change over time.

The three brands introduced this time all seem to have the power to turn a negative into a positive.

▼The brands introduced here