Fleece trending as a year-round option for apparel shops

Since COVID, fleece has shown better-than-average growth with customers wanting both comfort and quality in whatever they wear.

“Sweatshirts and sweatpants became the go-to uniform during the work-from-home era, and as many people returned to the workplace, fleece went with them,” said Jason Buchanan, president of sales and marketing for Cotton Heritage, a Commerce City, California-based wholesaler of T-shirts, hoodies, joggers, and basics. “I’ve spoken with numerous organizations that loosened their dress codes, allowing employees to dress more casually.”

When it comes to fleece casualwear, a few trends stand out like zippers in full-zip and quarter-zip, as well as heavier-weight fleece, particularly hoodies in the 10-ounce-and-up range that are great for home and office as well as the outdoors, Buchanan said.

“Elevated basics continue to gain momentum,” said Natalie Hopkins, senior director of merchandising
at S&S, a Bolingbrook, Illinois-based distributor. “Customers are looking for fleece that feels premium enough for everyday wear, not just promotional use.”

Nostalgic wear

Customers particularly like varsity and letterman-style jackets that extend beyond traditional team, school, and event environments, and they like vintage and garment-dyed aesthetics for a retail-inspired look and softer hand-feel in their outwear, Hopkins said.

“This retro, varsity-inspired direction also carries into updated classics, with fleece-lined bomber jackets, offering a modern take on heritage styling while maintaining a clean, on-trend aesthetic,” Hopkins said.

That’s because ’90s nostalgia continues to drive fashion, said Mary Kate Hines, marketing and communications manager for One Stop, a regional apparel wholesaler in Grand Rapids, Michigan, that also offers blanks and decoration supplies.

“We are seeing demand increase in the wholesale space for retro half-zips, lived-in and well-loved color stories — the garment-dyed vintage-looking colors — and the easy boxy shapes for every demographic,” Hines said.

Customers want oversized and more relaxed silhouettes that aren’t as form-fitting, while also “craving authentic personality in what they wear,” something they can get from ’90s-inspired fleece and outerwear and garment decoration, Hines explained.

“There are so many things you can do with fleece and outerwear as far as decoration that you can’t necessarily do with jersey fabrications. It’s a great way to show personality with different decorations and fits,” Hines said.

Fleece expansion

Decorated apparel shops selling T-shirts that want to get into fleece and outerwear can start with a few basic product offerings, Hines stated. She recommended a versatile mid-weight fleece and a quality quarter-zip to cover the widest range of end uses, especially when it comes to branding products.

“It’s always a bonus if you can offer coordinated styles across ladies, adults, and youth,” Hines said. “That’s typically one of the biggest things we hear from our customers — their customers want matching youth-to-adult shirts.”

Women’s/men’s/unisex

Previously, one of the biggest mistakes in apparel was treating women’s clothing as an afterthought with watered-down unisex options in smaller sizes and softer colors; in other words, “shrink it and pink it,” Hines said.

“That’s no longer the case, because female consumers expect personality, fit, and intentional pieces that are well-considered,” Hines said. “Womenswear is a great example of offering well-considered silhouettes in trend-right colors perfect for what women want to wear today.”

Men’s and women’s apparel styles have key differences in cut, sizing, and design. Women’s silhouettes typically have narrowed shoulders and a tapered waist, with ratios varying for bust, waist, and hips to account for different sizes and figures.

“Women’s fleece is not just a smaller version of men’s fleece — or at least it shouldn’t be,” Buchanan said. “Women’s fleece needs to think more carefully about proportion, body shape, length, sleeve volume, shoulder placement, and styling. The customer is looking for comfort, but also for something that feels current and flattering.”

Though brands started moving toward more form-fitting women’s apparel cut to the female body about 10 years ago, unisex fleece still remains a major part of the market, Buchanan said. Unisex fleece is easily accessible, easy to decorate, and works across many customer groups, he said.

“Many women are choosing relaxed, oversized, and unisex styles because they align more closely with current retail fashion trends,” Hopkins said. “At the same time, there is still strong demand for women’s-specific fits in corporate, hospitality, healthcare, and professional environments. The most successful assortments typically offer both unisex and women’s options to accommodate different preferences and end-use applications.”

Cotton Heritage recently developed a women’s fleece collection to offer more fashion-forward, retail-inspired silhouettes that also fit well in the decorated apparel space.

“We’re introducing modern silhouettes, trend-forward colors, and elevated styling to a category that has traditionally been underserved, and I believe decorators and brands are going to appreciate the fresh perspective it brings to the market this fall,” Buchanan said.

Color selection

Apparel shops can take advantage of the wider color availability to achieve a competitive advantage by paying close attention to their distributor’s depth and color assortment, Hines said. She recommends the shops offer a variety of color options, particularly vibrant colors like kelly green, royal blue, and even purples, she said.

“If you’re only offering the same four neutrals as everyone else, you’re leaving the most exciting part of the category on the table,” Hines stated. “If embroidery isn’t in your toolkit yet, build a referral relationship with someone who does it well. It’s the native language of this category. Vintage-style transfers and special effect techniques are running a close second.”

Apparel shops can customize fleece to help differentiate their brands, such as with zipper pulls and unique pockets or embroidered stitching, as well as find garments suitable for decorating, Hines said.

“You want to select fleece garments that you’re comfortable decorating,” Buchanan said. “All of our fleece styles feature a 100% cotton face and smooth finishes and have been thoroughly tested for printability. We work closely with equipment manufacturers in both the screen printing and direct-to-garment spaces to help ensure our fabrics are easy to work with and deliver consistent results.”

Decorated apparel

Buchanan advised apparel shops to work with decorators who have an educated point of view and expertise in what sells. Vintage-style screen print transfers, special effect HTV, oversized branding, and specialized embroidery are currently trending, he said.

“Being well-versed in new silhouettes, new color stories, and fresh decoration techniques and designs helps shops not just sell, but truly service,” Buchanan advised. “Decorators that stay curious about the blank industry and fashion retail are the ones achieving top- and bottom-line growth as they are truly seen as experts, not just order takers. The blank is the foundation. If the foundation is right, the decoration has a much better chance to shine.”

As such, decorators do best when they understand which decoration methods are best suited for different types of fabrics, categories, and silhouettes, Hopkins said. Customers expect the blanks to look and feel like something found at a retail store, creating an opportunity for creating curated apparel collections rather than just a simple logo on a garment, she said.

“Focus on premium decoration methods, such as embroidery, applique, patches, and specialty transfers,” Hopkins said. “The key is to start with versatile products that appeal to a wide range of customers and applications. Start with the products that feel like a natural extension of your current business. For example, mid-weight hoodies, crewneck sweatshirts, quarter-zips, full-zip fleece jackets, and lightweight layering pieces. Learn which decoration methods work best for each garment type and then create sample pieces customers can touch and wear.”

Outerwear’s ‘seasonality’

The trends and what sells vary somewhat according to the season, with slightly more purchases made in the fall than in the spring, switching from heavy winter to light summer weights.

“There is definitely seasonality, especially as we move into back-to-school, fall, the holidays, and cooler-weather programs. But fleece has become much more stable than it used to be,” Buchanan said.

Fleece can be sold year-round when positioned correctly, with shops building programs around hoodies, crews, joggers, quarter-zips, and garment-dye pieces.

“They can offer good-better-best options, create seasonal merch drops, and show customers how fleece can increase average order value,” Buchanan said. “A decorated hoodie simply carries more perceived value than a basic tee, giving shops the opportunity to sell quality, not just price.”

Quality matters more in fleece than people might realize, Buchanan said. With a T-shirt, they might notice the softness and fit, but with fleece, they take note of a longer list of the weight, hand feel, shrinkage, shape retention, print surface, color, and how it looks after washing.

“Hoodies and crews are no longer only winter items. They’re travel pieces, office pieces, streetwear pieces, event merch, and layering pieces,” Buchanan said. “Garment dye fleece, in particular, has helped make fleece feel more year-round because it has that lived-in, lifestyle look customers want regardless of season. A decorated hoodie simply carries more perceived value than a basic tee, giving shops the opportunity to sell quality, not just price.”

Apparel shops and other retailers should plan ahead and not wait until the first cold week of fall to start selling fleece, Buchanan said.

“The business that starts those fleece conversations earlier will capture that business,” Hines said. “With back-to-school time, fall sports, and teams looking for fleece, if you’re starting those conversations with customers in August, it may be too late. Seasonality punishes reactive shops and rewards proactive ones.”

Retail-inspired, plus value

But no matter the time of year, customers want fleece products to be value-priced and to have retail-inspired looks.

“Customers want modern styling and premium aesthetics without premium pricing,” Buchanan said. “We want fleece to feel good, decorate well, and continue looking good after the customer takes it home.”

Another measure of growth is driven by fleece’s wearability and durability, with customers wanting pieces they’ll actually keep and wear, Buchanan said.

“A great fleece item has a longer lifespan than almost any other apparel category, which creates value for both the end user and the brand behind it,” Buchanan said. “When comfort, quality, and versatility come together, consumers develop brand loyalty, and that drives repeat purchases over time.”

To continue to drive that business, Hines recommends apparel shops and other retailers stay curious and be students of the fleece industry.

“Try new brands, sample new fabrications, and try on new products,” Hines said. “Leaning on your distribution partners can help you stay ahead of the market. Distributors like us, we live and breathe trends and see colors emerging well in advance. That’s part of our job. We’re a plethora of knowledge — customers who lean on that relationship are better positioned to serve their own clients and sell what’s popular before anyone else does.”