LOT.603 SWEAT SHIRT

The sweatshirt is inspired by the origins of American sportswear before the 1950s, prior to the widespread use of synthetic materials. Like the Lot.601 Tee Shirt, it is characterized by a flat, planar form created through direct cutting.

Details that have largely been omitted in modern production due to cost reduction and technological efficiency—such as the V gussets placed on both the front and back of the neckline to absorb sweat—offer insight into the social context and manufacturing philosophy of the time. These elements faithfully reconstruct the functional thinking embedded in early sportswear design.

The tubular fleece fabric is produced on an existing hanging knitting machine. Introduced to Japan during the Taisho era (1912–1926), hanging knitting machines are now in operation only in Wakayama Prefecture, making it the sole place in the world where this method continues today. Although extremely inefficient—capable of knitting only one meter per hour—the slow process creates a fabric with subtle irregularity, as if air itself has been knitted into the texture.

By using USA cotton, the fabric achieves a dry touch and a distinctive, rich character. CHARCOAL and BEIGE are finished with garment dyeing, in which the piece is dyed after construction. This method creates natural tonal variations around seams and across the surface of the fabric. Combined with the inherent unevenness unique to hanging-knit textiles, the result is a monochrome garment with a gently shifting expression.