The best men's crewneck sweatshirt is, if you'll excuse the cliché, essential. Plenty of fashion-minded outlets like to use that term pretty liberally, but when it comes to the gray crewneck, it's actually true. Next to a plain white T-shirt and a pair of blue jeans, it really is about as essential as it gets. The crewneck sweatshirt is basic in the best way; cozy as a camp fire on the beach, always in style, and an integral part of menswear history.
The allure is a mix of form and function—hard-earned ruggedness wrapped in comfy fine cotton knit. But the style's enduring popularity also means the market is flooded with spins on the athletic-inspired classic, and finding the right one can feel like squinting at pictures of the same gray crewneck on your phone, trying to spot the difference.
To help you chase a menswear-icon status of your own, we hunted down the highest-quality, most versatile, absolute best men's crewneck sweatshirts available today.
The Best Crewneck Sweatshirts, According to GQ
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Best Overall Crewneck Sweatshirt : Reigning Champ Midweight Terry Standard Crewneck
Reigning Champ has been in the sweats game for generations, producing some of the absolute finest hoodies, sweatpants, and crewnecks around. When I was first introduced to the brand an unspeakable number of years ago, it left an impression on me. The idea that something so basic could be so good revealed to me that my base line for quality was much lower than I’d realized.
Though we here at GQ have adored their slim-fit crewnecks for years, Reigning Champ's more classic-fitting sweatshirt is one that will stay steady through the fickle fashion trend cycle. It's made with custom-knit midweight French Terry fabric, cut with a relaxed but clean fit, and sewn with super smooth flatlock seams to cut down on bulk. While most sweatshirts will opt for either raglan sleeves or set-in sleeves, Reigning Champ’s crewneck stands out for its unique construction that uses both techniques. The result is a more tailored set-in sleeve look at the front with raglan details at the back to give the wearer a freer range of motion.
The brand’s name alone sets high expectations, and in every aspect, Reigning Champ’s crewneck sweatshirt meets and exceeds them. While $125 isn’t by any means cheap, the stunning quality from the fabric to the fit and finish all equate to a sweatshirt that punches well above its weight class. If I really had to nit-pick, though, I'd like to see the color palette expand a little more, especially for such an essential piece of kit.
| Sizes | S-XXL |
| Materials | 100% cotton |
| Fit | Classic |
| Collar | Slightly loose crewneck |
Best Budget Crewneck Sweatshirt: Russell Athletic Dri-Power fleece sweatshirt
If your sweatshirt budget is decidedly smaller, your first stop should be Russell Athletic, the Alabama sportswear stalwarts who literally invented the crewneck sweatshirt way back in 1926. Almost a century later, they're still turning out the best bang-for-your-buck fleece crew on the market. It's got all the classic details that made Russell a household name: ribbing at the cuffs and hem, a V-insert collar, and a classic cut (size down if relaxed ain't exactly your thing).
The midweight 9 oz. fleece is pleasantly soft and warm, and it's moisture-wicking and breathable so if you run a little hot, it won't emphasize the sweat in ‘sweatshirt’. The thing I like most about Russell’s crewnecks is that they still fit like the vintage joints—but you don’t have to work yourself to death bobbing between vintage stores trying to hunt one down.
| Sizes | S-4XL |
| Materials | 50% cotton, 50% polyester |
| Fit | Regular |
| Collar | Classic crewneck |
Best Classic Crewneck Sweatshirt: Champion Reverse Weave Crewneck Sweatshirt
No list of the best crewneck sweatshirts would be complete without Champion's reverse weave joint in the mix. Todd Snyder’s legendary collab (see below) has got style and function down pat for the new-school, but the OG heavyweight pullover deserves a crown of its own. The sturdy cotton-poly blend is soft but will hold its shape after countless wash cycles (loungewear and pizza go hand in hand—residual stains do not). Fabric aside, the fit is just right: not too slim, not too baggy, and with slightly dropped shoulders to make your neckline really pop. We pick quality over quantity any day, but with this classic sweatshirt you get the go-to year-round layering piece for the fewest amount of dollar bills.
If you’re expecting a soft, motherly embrace, I hate to tell you this, but Champion’s iconic Reverse Weave sweats aren’t the softest. In fact, they’ve got a pretty rough hand. But don’t worry about that too much because that’s just straight out of the box. What you get in return is an unquestionably beastly durability. And the longevity you get out of them means they’ll only get softer and luscious with age.
| Sizes | XS-3XL |
| Materials | 82% cotton, 18% polyester |
| Fit | Relaxed |
| Collar | Slightly loose crewneck |
Best Designer Crewneck Sweatshirt: Stone Island Logo-Appliquéd Garment-Dyed Cotton-Jersey Sweatshirt
It's true that Stone Island's superpowers often derive from the mad-scientist ways it manipulates fabrics, making technical outerwear that looks like high fashion but performs like something you bought at REI. This crewneck sweatshirt, though, is largely free from laboratory experimentation: it's 100-percent cotton, garment dyed to make it softer and richer—a process that also results in the slight halo effect of lighter seams all around.
But—and at the risk of sounding like fashion victims—it's the signature button-on Stone Island logo on the left arm that does an equal amount of heavy lifting. It's just the right amount of something extra on a humble gray crewneck sweatshirt that makes it feel a little more special. When you're trying to stay cozy but hanging with friends or grabbing coffee with a date, a little something does a lot.
| Sizes | S-XXL |
| Materials | 100% cotton |
| Fit | Regular |
| Collar | Slightly loose crewneck |
Best Crewneck Sweatshirt for Breaking In: Buck Mason Indigo-Dipped Loopback Double V Crew Sweatshirt
Buck Mason's double V crewneck would cost you well over half a grand on the vintage market, but is just as good and a fifth of the price. On top of that, a few solid dips in indigo give it a deep midnight hue that'll age like fine wine and raw denim.
| Sizes | XS-XL |
| Materials | 100% cotton |
| Fit | Classic |
| Collar | Loose ribbed crewneck |
Best Vintage-Like Crewneck Sweatshirt: Buzz Rickson Flatlock Seam Crewneck Sweatshirt
You can’t ignore the impact that vintage clothing has on the modern fashion landscape, not just for the endless references and inspiration it gives designers, but also for the sheer explosion of secondhand style. Vintage-obsessed dudes like myself will search high and low for forgotten garments with esoteric details, from jeans left in abandoned barns to rare leather jackets tucked away in grandpa’s attic. And if you’re thrifting skills aren’t up to snuff or if coughing up the dough to a dealer is too big of a hit, the best thing to do is to look to Japan where they’re even more obsessed with reviving the grails of bygone eras.
While many repro brands deserve their flowers, I’m particularly keen on Buzz Rickson’s' interpretation of the perfect vintage sweatshirt. The fabric is made using ultra rare loopwheel knitting machines that knit the terry material methodically and slowly, using the natural tension of gravity to achieve a product that’s shockingly soft for its density. It also results in a fabric that’s totally seamless around the torso, an old-school detail that’s hard to come by but oh-so-satisfying once you do. The crewneck sweatshirt also features low-profile flatlock seams, tall ribbing at the cuffs and hems, and the throwback V-neck insert for easy donning.
| Sizes | M-XXL |
| Materials | 100% cotton |
| Fit | Relaxed fit |
| Collar | High crewneck |
More Crewneck Sweatshirts We Love
Abercrombie & Fitch
Essential Crew Sweatshirt
Undoubtedly one of the best things that Abercrombie does is sweats and its Essential Crew Sweatshirt is a gleaming example. It's got an '80s fit that's super relaxed and cozy as a warm fireplace. It's made of cotton-poly blend for a midweight feel and ultra soft hand that'll make you want to take a long, stylish nap.
Lady White
Relaxed Sweatshirt
The trouble with Lady White is twofold. Its pieces are so perfectly and precisely shaped—like this crewneck that's a little cropped, a little boxy, and, gathered just-so at the waist—and it dials in seasonal colors like this green-ish gray "kelp" so well, you need ungodly amounts of willpower not to keep buying new versions every four months.
3sixteen
Heavyweight Crewneck Sweatshirt
NYC-based 3sixteen has built out a line of carefully dialed-in menswear, like this hardy crewneck made with a fleece that's, quote, "some of the heaviest available on the market." And yet it's the pockets, surreptitiously slipped into the side seams, that have us nodding in appreciation.
FSG Originals
Loopwheel Crewneck Sweatshirt
Front General Store, located in Brooklyn, went out of its way to make this sweatshirt on increasingly hard-to-find Japanese loopwheel machines, knowing that the moment you pull on the relaxed, uniquely stretchy 100-percent cotton crewneck, you'd know why it's so special.
What Makes a High-Quality Sweatshirt?
There are levels to sweatshirts, as humble as they are. What we look for in high-quality sweatshirts comes down to fabric, construction, and fit. Sweatshirt fabrics should be soft, certainly, but many high-quality options are quite burly and stiffer than you'd think. Most of the time, that means the more material goes into the sweatshirt the longer it'll last. And if you're willing to commit to them, they'll get softer and more comfortable the more you wear and launder them.
Most garments are made by overlapping fabrics and sewing them together. That may be fine for a dress shirt, but sweatshirts are made of a thicker, knit fabric which can bulky and irritating when it's sewn like this. We like sweatshirts that are made with flatlock seams which are made by butting two fabrics next to each other rather than overlapping; the result is a smoother, flatter seam. On rarer occasions, some sweatshirts are made the old-school way on either tubular knitting machines or very rare loopwheel knitting machines which produces a sweatshirt without any side seams on the body. Garment nerds go gaga over this kind of detail, but it's by no means a requirement for a good sweatshirt.
What Fabrics Should I Look For?
Sweatshirt fabrics are typically made from terry cloth, French terry, or brushed terry. (If that sounds familiar, it's because terry cloth is the same stuff that's used to make bath towels.) Terry cloth features loops of yarns which are absorbent and insulating. But the main difference between your bath towel and your sweatshirt is that sweatshirts only have the loops on the inside of the garment. Often, those loops are either brushed or shorn to give the material a luxuriously fluffy hand.
How Should a Crewneck Sweatshirt Fit?
Fit is always subjective, but classic-fitting sweatshirts will fit somewhat relaxed all-around and fall at the hips. Slimmer sweatshirts will fit better if you want to layer them under a jacket and look cleaner with slim-fitting pants. For a fit that's more of-the-moment, opt for a sweatshirt that's boxier and cropped to go with some high-waisted, baggy trousers.
How To Style a Crewneck Sweatshirt
The humble gray crewneck helped Steve McQueen evade capture in The Great Escape, cemented John Travolta’s heartthrob status in Grease, and made Eddie Murphy a badass in Beverly Hills Cop. Paul Newman, the patron saint of laid-back menswear, wore one religiously. And today, a roster of famous—and famously stylish—dudes still put their trust in it. The only difference now is that it comes in a rainbow of different colors and silhouettes, not to mention fabrics far beyond the staid French terry. But for our money, every-dependable gray is still the shade to beat.
Like many menswear staples, crewneck sweatshirts were born from athletics and have transcended into everyday leisure. You could style a crewneck with baggy jeans and sick sneakers for a streetwear-leaning aesthetic, dive headfirst into a preppy look with a pair of chinos and loafers, or turn up the lounge-factor and double it up with some sweatpants and classic sneakers.
How We Tested
Like The Bachelor, we had a flock of hopefuls vying for our love. But instead of hot singles, we had to dole out roses to a gaggle of cozy sweatshirts. One by one, we got to know each sweatshirt, taking them out on dates (literally), and looking intently for rock-solid characteristics, flaws, and dealbreakers. We wore every sweatshirt like any other piece of clothing in our closets, styled them with our favorite pants, scrutinized their fits, put them through harsh laundry cycles, and repeated the whole process over again. What we ended up with is this A-team of great crewnecks, from budget options to luxurious upgrades, and everything between.
Production Credits
Photographs by Bowen Fernie and Natalie Piserchio
Styled by Tyler Austin
Grooming by Yuko Kawashima and Akane Awaji