For Future Vintage Basics, Put Your Faith in Allevol

On our ongoing search for the search for the basics, we sampled Loopwheel goodness from Allevol, courtesy of the fine folks at Clutch Cafe. Here's what we think.

The Allevol Loopwheel Sweatshirt from Clutch Cafe

There are garments one wears, and there are garments one enters. Loopwheeled sweatshirts have a repuation as the latter — not just an article of clothing, but a rite of passage. A sermon sewn in thread. A softness earned through labor, not simulated.

At the heart of Allevol's Loopwheel sweatshirt is a mechanism as sacred as it is rare: the loopwheel. These machines, saved from the brink of extinction, operate on a belief long since forgotten by industrial fashion — the principle of slowness. Of time honored repetition. Each loop is formed gently, gravity-fed, without tension — much like a mantra, repeated with calm devotion.

This process is not hurried. It cannot be hurried. And from this act of patience, the loopwheeled sweatshirt takes its shape — round, unbroken, and pure.

Selected by our reviewers, our chosen vestment arrives to the faithful Cortisians in orange — but not the orange of warning or excess. This is the orange of saffron robes, of autumn leaves caught in late sun, of the threshold between warmth and cool. It doesn’t shout. It glows.

To wear it is to cloak oneself in transition — between stillness and movement, comfort and discipline, modernity and memory. With a bound collar, hem, and cuffs — this beauty stays firm but not rigid, keeping the shape without restricting the soul. Raglan sleeve construction, offering freedom in the shoulders — a posture of readiness, not retreat. Made in Japan — not for novelty, but for devotion to detail.

Its shape is generous but guided: dropped shoulders for ease, a boxy body that neither clings nor floats. It invites motion, but does not demand it. This is not the sweatshirt of the gym— it is the sweatshirt of the studio, the library, the inner sanctum.

But heck, wear it in the gym too if you really want to.

The loopwheel cotton has a texture that recalls parchment worn by use, or the surface of a well-read text. It carries the air of something already beloved. Not fragile, but forgiving. A second skin for moments of reflection, or rare encounters with silence.

It holds warmth like memory. And it breathes, as all living things do.

To wear it is to choose a slower life.
A more contemplative wardrobe.
A sacred repetition of the ordinary.

Features:

Inspired by 1950's U.S. Naval Academy Sweathshirts
Loopwheel Fleece
Garment Died
Made in Japan

in Mercurial orange, this sweatshirt has become a go-to piece.

Loopwheel machines produce cotton fabric using minimal thread tension, which creates a soft, durable, and uniquely textured material. The result is a garment that offers exceptional comfort and quality. In Wakayama, Japan, only about 400 of these machines still exist, and typically, only half are operational at any given time. Once the backbone of textile production from the 1920s to the 1960s, loopwheel machines were gradually replaced as the industry shifted toward faster and more economical manufacturing processes.

The Allevol Heavy Duty Tee from Clutch Cafe

At Cortis.com, we obsess those who obsess over the details. For the few who supply the many with the best, every seam, every stitch, every fiber must serve a purpose, and that purpose is simple: enduring quality that feels as good as it looks. So when we encounter a piece that doesn't just meet our standards but surpasses them, we take notice. The ALLEVOL Heavy Duty Tee is one of those garments.

This is not your average t-shirt. It’s a throwback to the classic fits of the 50's and 60's, with the modern culmination of years of meticulous fabric research and development. From raw material selection to the machinery used to knit the yarns, every element of this garment is the result of rigorous standards and reverent craftsmanship.

Allevol Heavy Duty Crew Neck Square Pocket T-shirt Navy-T-shirt-Clutch Cafe

At the core of this tee is 100% US-grown, high-grade raw cotton — a clean, robust foundation. The yarn itself? Spun in Japan with a rare 14-count thickness, achieving a density that immediately sets this shirt apart. The knit is executed on vintage Taimaru circular knitting machines, which are no longer widely used due to their slow, deliberate pace — but that labor-intensive process in the name of quality is exactly the point.

With no side seams, the tee wraps the torso in a single, seamless panel, resulting in a fit that hugs without clinging, and holds its shape long after its competitors have wilted. The heavy handle gives it the character of a mid-century sportswear relic — the kind of tee that hung in the locker room of a 1950s collegiate gym, broken in by decades of wear but never worn out.

Zoom in and the details continue to impress. The bound crew neck collar, reinforced with triple stitching, doesn’t sag or twist over time. The drop needle stitch detailing adds subtle visual interest and texture. Its short, boxy silhouette nods to vintage athletic cuts — relaxed yet intentional, flattering but unfussy.

There’s a tactile satisfaction to slipping this tee on. The dense weave and textured weight have a reassuring gravity to them — it doesn’t float, it grounds you. It’s the kind of tee you find yourself reaching for instinctively. Once you wear it, everything else feels flimsy by comparison.

Features:

Drop needle stitch
Made in Japan
100% U.S. Cotton
Single chest pocket

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