4 team hoodie looks clubs are ordering this winter

Team hoodies used to be an afterthought: a black pullover with the club crest on the chest, ordered the same way every year. That has changed. The hoodies we're making this winter are bigger, softer in colour and printed all over, and clubs are ordering them as merchandise for parents and fans as much as warm-up kit for players.

What changed in team hoodies

Three things, mostly. The cut got bigger, with dropped shoulders and room to layer. The colours moved away from bright team primaries towards sage, rust, sand and mushroom brown. And camo stopped looking military. Most of the camo we print now is made from leaves, bark and stones.

Sublimation is what makes all of this affordable for a club. An all-over print costs the same as a plain body, so there's no reason to settle for one small chest logo.

Look 1: Nature camo

This is the biggest one. Fern leaves, birch bark, oak leaves and pine forest, printed seam to seam in muted tones. It reads as camo from a distance, but it feels calmer and less aggressive than the old green-and-brown military pattern, which is why schools and youth clubs are happy to order it.

The trick is to keep the trims solid. Rib cuffs, waistband and hood lining in one plain colour from the print give the eye somewhere to rest.

Look 2: Earth tones and fades

Mushroom brown into oatmeal. Terracotta into charcoal. Olive with a pale mountain ridge rising from the hem. These are fades and textures in one colour family, so the hoodie looks rich up close but stays simple from across a car park.

Getting a fade right on a hoodie

• Dark at the top, light at the hem. It frames the face and hides wear on the shoulders.
• Two colours only. A third colour in a fade usually turns muddy where they meet.
• Leave a clean area for the logo. Place the crest where the fade is calmest, usually the upper chest.
• Check the pocket. The kangaroo pocket is cut separately, so ask for the print to line up across it.

Look 3: Tonal prints

One strong colour, with a pattern printed in a slightly darker or lighter shade of the same colour. Marble swirls, chevrons, tartan. From a distance it's a scarlet hoodie. Up close, there's a lot going on.

One colour from the stands, a pattern in the hand. Why tonal prints sell

Tonal prints are the safe choice for clubs with a strong single team colour. You keep the colour everyone knows, and the hoodie still looks new.