Years ago when I was working with Steve Maxwell, we used to joke we would make good clothing reviewers. Between us, we’d somehow acquire new clothes/gear on the then cutting edge of fabrics & cuts of what we now call “athleisure.” Back then, it was almost a joke term, and not so common. It was from Steve that I learned all about cuts, the right seams for performance, and what fabrics performed best in what conditions (this was a guy who traveled the world, not hold a home for 14 years and was literally living out of his suitcase- his gear was chosen carefully).

What we didn’t fully anticipate was that we’d both slowly begin to acquire gigs with companies to product test and write internal reviews for the designers. Not unexpectedly, he got many more opportunities than I did, but I got to try my hand at this as well. It was always something I enjoyed. I’m not sure if I signed something along the way keeping trade secrets or not, so I’ll just leave it at that— it was a fun time and I got to learn a lot about clothes, fabrics, and what set companies apart.

To this day, I still receive product review inquiries for new companies, some asking for internal-only reviews, and others asking for my honest words publicly. This is how I ended up here today with Born Tough and their Alfresco Parka Hoodie. In the spirit of full disclosure, I was provided with the hoodie I’m about to write about for free in exchange for an honest review. I told the company from the start that my conditions were that I could be totally honest, and that I could also be fully transparent with our terms. They happily accepted, and here we are.

Born Tough is a UK-based company that makes fashion conscious athletic wear, not the swishy sweatsuits of yesterday. It’s definitely for the gym-going crowd and what’s become the new casual look for most people in the western world.

Fit

I’ve worn hoodies and athletic tops from many different companies and the main distinguisher is always where the  seams are placed and how this translates to movement. This hoodie is a mixed bag here. Its main weakness is in the shoulders: often times in Parka or Raglan-cut sleeves/shoulders, there’s a seam that you’ll find over the shoulder/delt. It usually comes down about 4-6 inches and seems insignificant. However, that seam is gold in creating more shoulder mobility. That’s missing here, and for me it causes the shirt I’m wearing underneath to move around a bit too much.

Admittedly though, I believe this may be a size too small for me, and I imagine sizing up can help with this. The reality is that if you’re from North America and you’re getting clothes from the UK/Europe, you’re going to want to size up. This was a mistake I made, yet always know not to make! For reference, I ordered a Medium, my size in most US brands, but should have ordered a Large.

Even so, the fit does have its strengths, namely that for a parka/scuba style hoodie (meaning: the neck covering comes up to your chin and the hood being more fitted/less fabric), the proportions are done quite well. Often times, you see scuba hoodies made extremely tight, or sometimes too high with no structure. The body cut is also nice, and the overall look of the hoodie is very flattering. More importantly, it moves well in the torso and body, and definitely passes the test there.

Fabric

This is where the hoodie shines. As little as two years ago, if you were paying under $60 for any piece of athletic gear in the category, you could reasonably assume the fabric quality would be really poor. The blend on the Alfresco Parka hoodie is a cotton/poly/spandex blend, which in my experience, ends up being quite durable. When done alone, cotton and polyester seem to have a very short shelf-life, especially if you sweat in it). However, when you add in the additional dimension of spandex, you’ll typically find that your fabrics go a little farther in an active sense: they retain shape better, fight off odor better, and more importantly, last longer. Any grapplers or MMA athletes can attest for how long some of their spandex dominant gear lasts (probably too long in the case of being on the mats…). The same rule applies here.

In terms of color, I went with black and it’s in reality a bit more of a faded black, which I actually prefer— really dark black dyes tend to only last so many washes, and this one has a worn-but-sharp look that I don’t anticipate aging badly. However, if you were expecting it to be a vibrant, deep or at all shiny black (as the photos imply), you’re not getting that here.

In short, the best quality of this hoodie is it’s fabric, as I believe it will be durable and has proven to be so far.

Uses / Features

Another thing that’s worth mentioning is the detailing of the hoodie. The zippers are all lined, adding a nicer look overall to the hoodie, but also providing extra insulation against the elements. I received an older version of this hoodie, but it appears they’ve updated and added dual cell-phone pockets to the front behind the kangaroo pockets. That’s a great feature that adds even more utility.

In Short

This is a contender if you’re in the athletic/athleisure hoodie market priced under $50. If you’re interested in buying this hoodie, you’re going to want to go a size up, especially if you have a larger upper body. The shoulder seam is the main complaint I have, but a parka-style hoodie under $50 shouldn’t be expected to offer EVERYTHING.

If you’d like to check it out yourself, go to Born Tough’s website.