The ATHLETIC T-SHIRT / FLYING M is crafted from 100% cotton loopwheel fabric and features a FLYING M appliqué, made from hand cut wool felt lettering, just like those found on early athletic tees.

Winged lettering appeared frequently in 60s track and field uniforms, where the letter typically represented the school or athletic club. The addition of wings acted as a visual shorthand for speed and motion. This imagery even carried into mid-twentieth century motorcycle culture, where it appeared in forms such as the FLYING WHEEL. A closely related design is the well-known “flying foot”, a graphic of a winged running shoe that became a recurring symbol in early athletic design and would often be awarded as letterman patches for track and field achievements.

Loopwheel machines are known to knit a sluggish pace, with only a single meter of fabric produced every hour. When compared to contemporary manufacturing methods, the loopwheel machines apply a very low thread tension allowing the production of an exceedingly premium and unique fabric. The resulting material feels like it has been hand woven, with a stretchy element to it, a quality that cannot be replicated by modern production techniques. The crucial difference is that Loopwheel textiles are knitted in an oval-shaped sequence to yield a fabric that will comfortably stretch with wear. The absence of seams and the standard of the cotton make for a tee of ultimate comfort and quality.

100% Cotton, 6.8 oz. (Loop-Wheel Knit Fabric)

Cotton Sewing Thread Construction

Hand Cut Wool Felt Application on Front

Made in Japan