The sweatshirt (or simply 'sweat') was created by Benjamin Russell in 1926. The Russel Corporation was founded in Alabama in 1902. The firm began by manufacturing undergarments for both men and women.
Benjamin's son Bertie began playing football at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa. Bertie complained to his father about the football shirts These woolen shirts when damp became itchy which in turn caused discomfort for the football players.
Bertie had the idea of making football shirts from the same material the company used to make the underwear. Knowing well the garments made at his father's factory Bertie suggested this would be a great way to make football shirts. Benjamin decided to give it a go and history was in the making.
The idea was a success not just with the Alabama team but with many other football clubs..
Benjamin saw the promise of the new shirt and encouraged Bertie to identify further markets for the new shirts. Bertie found willing customers in athletics clubs and the baseball world and production expanded to satisfy the new orders.
{The Russell company was able to become the established shirt company by forming Russell Athletic in 1932.|This success led to Russell to form the athletics association Russell Athletic in 1932 establishing Russell as the preferred sporting shirt supplier
Fast forward in time and the sweatshirt style has since become a very popular casual wear item being made by many fashion brands for example G Star Sweat.
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