Comfort Hoodie

Champion says it made the first hooded sweatshirt in Rochester, New York, in the 1930s, as a warm layer for athletes waiting on the sidelines. Ninety years on, the hoodie I reach for is softer, heavier and a lot less sporty, and the label that reset my idea of what one should feel like is Comfrt.

 

Hudson Leogrande launched Comfrt in August 2022 with three hoodie colors. He has written that he sent 30 of his favorite hoodies to a manufacturer, not to copy them but to reinvent them, with one goal: the most comfortable hoodie in the world. He has also been open about the depression and anxiety he went through after dropping out of high school at 16, and you can feel it in the line, which is oversized, heavy and partnered with the Anxiety & Depression Association of America. The Minimalist Hoodie in Buttercream, the Signature Hoodie in Bark and the Tranquil Hoodie in Espresso are where I would start, and the Airplane Mode Travel Hoodie hides an eye mask in the hood for long flights.

 

The rest of the first grid comes from Revolve, and it is where the hoodie gets a little more polished. Helsa's Saylor Cashmere Knit Hoodie and ALIGNE's Illaria Brushed Wool Hoodie are the knit versions I would wear with trousers, COTTON CITIZEN's Roma Hoodie is the clean white one, and Fear of God ESSENTIALS' 90's Fleece Hoodie and Vuori's Sedona Classic Pullover Hoodie are the heavy fleece I would wear on a Sunday. The test I trust: pull the hood up and look straight ahead. If it sits off your forehead and the drawstrings hang evenly, it fits.

A zip hoodie does a different job. It goes over a tank in the morning, under a coat at lunch and on top of everything on the flight home, so I look for one that zips smoothly and does not bunch at the waist.

 

Comfrt's Cloud Zip Hoodie in Caramel is the one I would buy first, the Weighted Hoodie in Bone is the heaviest of the lot, and the Pastel Zip in Bubblegum and the Explorer Travel Zip in Sky are the brighter options. SKIMS' Classic Zip Up Hoodie is the slim navy one, Alexander Wang's Shrunken Zip-up Hoodie is cropped with a rhinestone drawcord, and Frankies Bikinis' Salem Cable Knit Oversized Zip Up Hoodie is the cozy knit version.

 

What I would skip: a zip in a thin jersey. It loses its shape after a few washes and the zip starts to wave down the front.

I wear a hoodie three ways: with matching sweatpants on a travel day, under a long wool coat with straight jeans, and over a slip skirt when I want the outfit to look less precious. The heavier the fleece, the simpler everything else should be.

 

Wash them inside out on cold and skip the dryer when you can. Fleece holds its softness far longer that way, and the cuffs keep their snap.