Denim Tears Hoodies

A Print That Needs the Space

The cotton wreath is a circular motif and it is printed large. On a tee that works. On a hoodie it works better, because the chest panel gives the circle room to sit without the print running into a seam or getting broken up by a pocket.

That is the practical reason the hoodie is the piece most associated with the label. It is also why Denim Tears puts its collaboration work here more than anywhere else in the range. When another designer or artist gets involved, the hoodie is the canvas they are handed.

The fleece backs it up. Heavyweight cotton with a brushed inner face, cut relaxed rather than exaggerated, and weighted enough that it holds shape instead of going limp after a season. These are built to be kept.

Collaboration Hoodies

Denim Tears x Offset

The Offset collaboration is the most direct music crossover the label has done, and it reworks the wreath rather than simply adding a second logo beside it. The black version is the one that moves fastest, with a white colourway alongside it. Collaboration pieces from Denim Tears run in smaller numbers than the mainline and are not repeated, so what is here is what there is.

Denim Tears x Bstroy

Bstroy is a New York label known for deconstructed, deliberately unsettling design work, which makes it an unusual partner and a genuinely interesting one. The zip up in blue is the piece we hold. If you follow the design side of streetwear rather than just the logos, this is the hoodie in the range worth knowing about.

Rhinestone Cotton Wreath

The rhinestone zip hoodie in oatmeal replaces the printed wreath with set stones, so the motif catches light rather than sitting flat. Oatmeal is a softer base than the usual black or grey and lets the stonework read properly. This one needs more care than a printed piece, so check the guidance below before washing it.

The Star Line

Star hoodies swap the wreath for a star motif and run across black, brown, grey and yellow. They are the quieter option in the range, which sounds like a downside and is not: the wreath is a loaded image and there are days you may want the label without the statement. The Star pieces also match the Star tracksuits if you are building a set across categories.

Pullover or Zip?

Worth thinking about before you buy, because the print makes this decision different to a normal hoodie. A zip runs straight through the centre of the chest, which means it splits the wreath in half. On some designs that works and looks intentional. On others it interrupts a circular motif that was drawn to be whole.

If the print is your main reason for buying, take the pullover. If you want a layer you can open over a tee, or something that sits flat under a jacket, the zip versions in purple, blue and oatmeal do that job better.

Black, Grey, or Something Else

Black and grey account for most of what people search, roughly evenly split. Black holds the print sharpest and hides wear. Grey gives the wreath more contrast and shows the fleece texture better, which is why it photographs well. Between the two it is preference rather than one being the smarter buy.

The rest of the range is where it gets interesting. Vintage black is washed down rather than flat, so it arrives looking worn in. Brown, orange, baby blue, royal blue, green, red, pink and purple all appear, and pink in particular pulls steady search interest. If you already own a black hoodie from another label, one of these is the more useful second buy.

Care

Printed hoodies wash cold at thirty degrees, inside out, with no bleach and no softener. Softener flattens the brushed fleece and dulls the print over time. Air dry rather than tumble, because heat on a print this large is what causes cracking, and on a piece bought for its graphic that is the value gone.

The rhinestone piece is different. Turn it inside out, use a laundry bag on a cold gentle cycle, and never tumble dry it at all. Heat loosens the adhesive holding set stones and they come away in the drum. Iron everything on the reverse only, and keep the plate off the print and the stones entirely.