100% Cotton or a Blend? How to Choose a Hoodie or Sweatshirt
, by Marius Grozavu , 3 min reading time
A hoodie's composition decides how it feels, how it washes and how long it keeps its shape. What 100% cotton, organic cotton and blends each do, and how to read the label.
Two hoodies with the same weight can behave very differently after ten washes. Fabric weight tells you how dense the fabric is; the composition label tells you how it will feel against the skin, how it washes and how it keeps its shape. Here is what each option actually does, so you can pick the right one instead of assuming that one is always better.
100% cotton
All cotton breathes well, feels natural against the skin and gets softer with every wash. The trade-offs: it can shrink slightly if it is washed hot or tumble dried on high, and a heavy cotton fleece takes longer to dry. Washed at 30 °C and dried low or flat, it keeps its size.
Our two pieces with no polyester at all are the Pure Cotton Hoodie with metal eyelets and the Pure Cotton Crewneck, both 100% organic cotton at 350 g/m².
Organic cotton and what the labels mean
Organic cotton is grown without synthetic pesticides or fertilisers. The certificates on a label tell you who checked what:
- GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) covers the organic fibre and the processing, from spinning to finishing.
- OCS (Organic Content Standard) verifies how much organic fibre the garment contains.
- OEKO-TEX Standard 100 means the finished fabric has been tested for harmful substances.
Cotton and polyester
A blend such as 80% cotton and 20% polyester holds its shape and size through the wash, dries faster and keeps colour well. That is why so much heavyweight fleece is made this way. When the polyester is recycled, as it is in most of our blends, it comes from material that already exists rather than new plastic.
Look for the words cotton face. It means the outside of the fabric is cotton, so it looks and feels like cotton, while the blended back gives the stability. The Garment-Dyed Vintage Hoodie and the Sculpted Hare Crewneck at 500 g/m² are built like this. The Urban Hoodie and the Oversized Hoodie are 80% cotton and 20% recycled polyester at 340 g/m².
Cotton and elastane
A small amount of elastane, usually 5–10%, adds stretch and helps the fabric spring back after you move. It suits fitted cuffs, printed pieces and pants. The Hare Cotton Hoodie is 95% cotton and 5% elastane; the Magenta Smoke Hoodie is 90% cotton and 10% elastane.
Which one should you choose?
| If you want | Choose |
|---|---|
| The most natural feel, no synthetics | 100% (organic) cotton |
| A heavy hoodie that keeps its shape and size | Cotton-polyester, ideally with a cotton face |
| Stretch and easy movement | Cotton with 5–10% elastane |
| Something that dries quickly after washing | A blend |
How to read the label in ten seconds
Check three lines: the percentage of each fibre, the weight in g/m² and any certificate. The weight tells you how warm and structured the piece is (our plain guide to fabric weight explains the ranges), and the composition tells you how it will behave after you wash it. Every product page in our shop lists the composition and the weight, plus any certificate.
The short version
100% cotton for the feel, a cotton-faced blend for shape and easy care, a touch of elastane for stretch. Browse men's hoodies, women's hoodies or everything at 300 g/m² and above in the Heavyweight 300+ collection.
