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Celerity

(43,318 posts)
Fri May 8, 2020, 12:18 AM May 2020

This Is the Reason Why Sweatshirts Have a V at the Neck

https://gearpatrol.com/2020/05/07/sweatshirt-v-insert/



Take a look at your sweatshirts. You might notice that some have a peculiar feature at the neck — a V-shaped stitch that sits right at the middle of the collar. Why is it there? It’s a confounding detail that has stumped people for years. That little detail goes by a few names, most commonly the V-insert, V-stitch and, its tastiest moniker, the Dorito. You won’t find it on every sweatshirt, though. It’s become less prevalent over the years and was phased out by many brands, fueling the confusion surrounding its intent.

Originally, the design was a ribbed knit material that was inserted at the collar and stitched into place. It served two main purposes: Like the ribbing at the sleeves and at the hem, the ribbed insert allowed the wearer to more easily don the garment without it losing shape. As the wearer would get their head through the neck of the sweatshirt, the V-insert would stretch to accommodate. The elasticity of the ribbing could stretch as needed without losing integrity.

The second reason is that it helped to absorb sweat. If you’ve seen someone sweat through a crewneck, you’ll know that the chest is a major point of perspiration. Though, the V-insert could only take so much. Early versions saw the V-insert at both the front and the back of the collar while others would just have one at the front. Eventually, the detail became merely decorative as companies began to stitch a V at the collar without the ribbed material, weening the consumer before leaving it out altogether.

But, the recent resurgence of heritage brands and a focus on vintage influences has brought the V-insert back into vogue as brands like Merz B. Schwanen, Buzz Rickson’s and Champion Reverse Weave look to capitalize on archival styles. Whether you use yours to catch some sweat or the one you’ve got is purely ornamental, you now have a new fun fact to share.

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This Is the Reason Why Sweatshirts Have a V at the Neck (Original Post) Celerity May 2020 OP
I love this kind of information. zanana1 May 2020 #1
yw! Celerity May 2020 #2
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