In 2012, San Francisco apparel shop American Giant released its very first product, a zip-up hooded sweatshirt that put the company on the map. Officially called the Classic Full Zip, most people know it as “the greatest hoodie ever made,” thanks to the headline on a Slate article touting its charms.
After that story, things took off for American Giant. In the 13 years since, the company has sold 1 million hoodies. It has also grown its brand and added a range of casual tops and bottoms, all of it sourced and manufactured in the US. But one thing that hasn't changed much is the design of that Classic Full Zip hoodie. Until today.
The Classic Full Zip has just been relaunched as a softer and more breathable piece, thanks to an overall refresh centered around a new cotton fleece construction. The hallmarks of the design remain: the double-lined hood, stretchy side panels, and the elbow patches. But slip it on and zip it up, and you'll notice it's not as snug around the waist or around the shoulders.
For me, a big-shouldered person, the cut of the cotton around the shoulders was one of my quibbles with AG's hoodie. I always liked the piece as a whole, but the fit wasn't as relaxed as I'd like, and even after years of wear, it always felt a little stiff. The new design just gives you more room to move. The slightly more forgiving elastic in the cuffs around the wrists and waist is also something I consider an upgrade.
American Giant has been hailed as a success story for US-based manufacturing. Photograph: American Giant Inside one of the company's factories. Photograph: American Giant
The biggest upgrade, though, is to the cotton fleece itself. The fabric is softer and more breathable. This can be attributed to a change in the cotton fibers in the hoodie.
If you have a cheap, thick cotton T-shirt in your collection—probably something that has a heavy-metal band logo silkscreened to it—then you know it feels a little rough, and the shirt isn't all that breathable. These cheaper shirts use short staple cotton fibers. The longer the fiber, the softer and more breathable the cotton gets. For this new fleece, AG is using the type of longer-staple cotton fibers found in soft cottony things like fancy dress shirts and expensive bedsheets.
The cotton in the fleece is grown, spun, and dyed in the US. Photograph: American Giant Cotton gets dyed at an American Giant factory. Photograph: American Giant
At launch, the original Classic Full Zip Hoodie cost $138. The price jumped to $168 last year because of changes in American Giant's supply chain, the biggest of which was the closing of its key supplier, Carolina Cotton Works, in May 2024. The good news is that there's no additional price hike for the new hoodie. It's still $168, and it's available today.
The original hoodie is currently our staff favorite and occupies the rank of “best overall” in WIRED's Best Hoodies guide. We'll test out the new one and see if it can keep that top slot.