People just realising what the triangle on jumpers is actually for
Most people will have noticed the little triangle on the neckline of jumpers and sweaters, but only a few will actually know what it is for. And many of the triangles on modern jumpers are fake and they’re only for fashion purposes.
TikTok content creator Alex Ma loves debunking myths and revealing little-known facts about clothes and materials. He has amassed a following of loyal fashion fans who love learning about what their clothes labels really mean and diving into the history of wardrobe staples. In one video with more than six million views, Alex explains the real reason some jumpers have a small triangular shape stitched in.
He said: “On many hoodies and crewnecks, there’s a V-shaped panel at the base of the collar. Usually on the front, sometimes the back and sometimes both. But it is not decoration.”
Alex goes on to explain that it was created to fix a specific problem in 1926, the year American clothing manufacturer Russell Athletic designed the sweatshirt football jersey.
He said: “Before this, football players wore wool jerseys. Wool is warm, which is great, but when you mix wool, sweat and intense physical activity, you end up with a heavy, disgusting mess. Plus, when you wash it, the wool would shrink.
“So Russell design a cotton jersey with a specific problem to solve, sweat management. That V-shaped panel is positioned exactly where sweat first accumulates on your body, at the upper chest and collarbone area.
“The separate panel of fabric created by the V-shape absorbs moisture in that high-sweat area without the entire front of the garment getting soaked.”
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Alex also said that’s not the only problem this little ingenious triangle solves. He detailed how the extra material doubles as a point of flex, so when you pull the jumper over your head, it allows the garment to move without stretching the neckline.
However, Alex also pointed out that most V-shaped panels in clothes today are fake. He said: “You will see what looks like a V-panel, but it is not actually functional.
“Usually, it is the same fabric as the rest of the sweatshirt, just with extra fabric stitched on top. It doesn’t provide any extra stretch; it’s purely aesthetic. Even worse, some sweatshirts just have V-shaped stitching with no additional fabric at all.”
