Ramen Hoodie

A ramen hoodie for the weather ramen was invented for

RAMEN in heavy serif, Club in blue script beneath, a bowl with the egg cut open and nori standing out of the broth — printed across the back of a brushed fleece hood. The ramen hoodie is the version of this design that matches the temperature the dish belongs to.

Ramen is cold-weather food. It arrived in Japan from China around the turn of the twentieth century and spread through the country as cheap, hot, fast fuel — sold from carts at night, eaten standing up, in winter, by people who needed warming rather than feeding. The yatai carts that still park in Fukuoka after dark are the direct descendants. A bowl of it in August is a choice; in January it is the whole point.

There is a practical argument too. Fleece is a warmer, softer surface than jersey, and a food graphic printed on it reads differently — less like a poster, more like something on a work jacket. The halftone dots behind the bowl gain texture rather than losing it, because the brushed surface scatters light instead of reflecting it flat. This design gains from the transfer; several others in the collection would not.

It comes in white, black and rice apricot. White is the lightest reading and lets the artwork sit closest to print on paper. Black is the strongest contrast of the three and the one most designs here were composed for. Rice apricot is the warm middle ground — a soft, slightly greyed cream that takes the edge off a graphic without muting it.

Made in brushed fleece, 300 to 380 gsm, with a lined hood, ribbed cuffs and hem and a kangaroo pocket. The lining matters more than the number: an unlined hood collapses flat against the back and the garment loses the mass at the neck that gives a hoodie its shape in the first place.

It is cut oversized from the pattern stage, so take your usual size for the intended drop or size down for a closer fit. Straight trousers below, easy sneakers, and nothing tucked.

• Type: Oversized graphic hoodie
• Material: Brushed fleece, 300–380 gsm
• Print: Back print — ramen bowl, nori and egg, 'RAMEN Club ラーメン'
• Fit: Oversized, drop shoulder, lined hood, kangaroo pocket
• Sizing: True to size for an oversized look — size down for a closer fit
• Colours: White, black, rice apricot
• Wear it with: Straight trousers, easy sneakers