Reigning Champ
A Vancouver-founded Canadian athletic and streetwear brand centered on premium fabrics, understated design, and specialized garment construction.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
Reigning Champ is a Canadian premium athletic and streetwear brand founded in Vancouver in 2007 by Craig Atkinson, who also founded the Canadian clothing label wings+horns. The brand developed around a deliberately narrow proposition: refined everyday athletic clothing made from high-quality materials and finished with close attention to construction, fit, and durability. Rather than relying on conspicuous graphics or seasonal fashion themes, Reigning Champ has generally emphasized clean silhouettes, restrained branding, and versatile pieces that can move between training, leisure, and streetwear contexts. Its product range includes caps, T-shirts, tank tops, shorts, hoodies, sweatpants, jackets, and other athletic basics. Materials associated with the brand include cotton, heavyweight fleece, and merino wool. The use of substantial fleece and carefully selected natural fibers supports the brand’s premium positioning, while its design language remains functional and minimalist. Hoodies, sweatpants, and other fleece garments are particularly important to the brand’s identity because they express its focus on tactile quality, comfort, and precise manufacture rather than novelty. Reigning Champ has also used collaborations to broaden its cultural and sporting reach. Its documented partners have included adidas, Everest, ASICS Tiger, Major League Soccer, the National Basketball Association, and Converse. These projects have extended the brand into footwear, team- and sport-related apparel, and limited collaborative collections while retaining its association with understated athletic design. The brand has been distributed through a network of approximately 130 retailers worldwide, in addition to its own direct retail and digital channels. This wholesale presence has positioned Reigning Champ within the international premium streetwear and athleisure market, alongside specialist labels valued for fabric quality and construction. Its core appeal is to consumers seeking elevated versions of familiar athletic garments rather than highly technical performance equipment or logo-driven fashion. In 2021, Canadian apparel retailer Aritzia acquired Reigning Champ in a transaction reported at a valuation of C$63 million. The acquisition placed the brand within a larger Canadian fashion group while preserving Reigning Champ as a distinct label. Publicly available reference material does not establish a subsequent change to the brand’s name, product identity, or Vancouver association. Reigning Champ therefore remains characterized by premium basics, athletic-inspired casualwear, collaborative product development, and a minimalist Canadian design profile.
History
Reigning Champ was established in Vancouver in 2007 by Craig Atkinson, who was also associated with the Canadian label wings+horns. From its beginning, the brand concentrated on a relatively focused category: elevated athletic and casual clothing made with substantial fabrics and restrained styling. Its approach treated everyday sportswear as a product of material and construction quality, rather than as disposable basics or heavily branded fashion. The brand’s assortment grew around fleece and jersey garments such as hoodies, sweatpants, T-shirts, shorts, and tank tops, while also extending into caps, jackets, track pants, knitwear, and related accessories. Heavyweight fleece, cotton, and merino wool became important material references. These fabrics supported the brand’s reputation for comfort and durability and helped distinguish its products within the premium streetwear and athleisure segment. The visual identity remained intentionally minimal, with simple forms and limited decoration designed to emphasize fit, texture, and utility. Reigning Champ’s development was also shaped by collaborations. Its work with adidas brought the brand into projects involving footwear and a range of athletic and lifestyle apparel, including shorts, track pants, sweatpants, knit bomber jackets, and hoodies. Other documented collaborations involved Everest, ASICS Tiger, Major League Soccer, the National Basketball Association, and Converse. These partnerships connected Reigning Champ with performance-sport, team-sport, footwear, and streetwear audiences while allowing it to retain its core design vocabulary. The label achieved international distribution through a network reported at approximately 130 retailers worldwide. This wholesale reach complemented its own branded retail and online presence and established Reigning Champ as a recognizable specialist label in premium casual athleticwear. Its customer proposition centered on refined versions of familiar garments: products suitable for daily wear, travel, training-adjacent use, and contemporary streetwear styling. A major ownership change occurred in 2021, when Aritzia acquired Reigning Champ in a transaction reported at a valuation of C$63 million. The deal connected the independent Vancouver brand with one of Canada’s largest fashion retailers and provided a broader corporate platform for its continued operation. Available reference material does not provide a detailed account of post-acquisition management, store strategy, or financial performance. The brand’s documented identity nevertheless continues to be associated with Vancouver, premium athletic basics, high-quality fabrics, and collaborative product development.
- 2021
Acquisition by Aritzia
[1]Aritzia acquired Reigning Champ at a reported valuation of C$63 million, making the label part of Aritzia’s broader apparel portfolio.
- 2007
Brand founded in Vancouver
[1]Craig Atkinson founded Reigning Champ in Vancouver, Canada, establishing the brand around premium athletic and casual apparel.
Products and positioning
Premium athletic and streetwear apparel focused on high-quality fabrics, understated design, comfort, and meticulous construction.
Sweatshirts
Fleece hoodies
Hoodies are among Reigning Champ’s defining products. They reflect the brand’s preference for substantial fleece, clean silhouettes, and restrained branding. The range is positioned as premium everyday athleticwear rather than technical sports equipment, emphasizing warmth, comfort, durability, and a polished appearance suitable for casual and streetwear use.
Athletic bottoms
Fleece sweatpants
Reigning Champ’s sweatpants extend its core fleece proposition into relaxed athletic bottoms. Their role in the assortment is to combine lounge comfort with a more considered fit and finish than mass-market sportswear. They are designed as versatile wardrobe staples for everyday wear, travel, and casual styling.
Tops
Cotton T-shirts and tank tops
The brand’s cotton T-shirts and tank tops provide lightweight counterparts to its fleece garments. These basics use the same minimalist design approach, with attention directed toward fabric hand, fit, and wearability. They function as foundational athletic and casual pieces and can be worn independently or layered with heavier products.
Wool apparel
Merino-wool apparel
Merino-wool products represent Reigning Champ’s use of premium natural fibers beyond cotton and fleece. Merino supports lightweight warmth and temperature versatility, allowing the brand to apply its understated aesthetic to more refined layering and transitional-weather garments. Specific product styles and launch dates are not established in the supplied reference material.
Collaborations
Collaborative athletic collections
Reigning Champ has produced collaborative products with adidas and other sports, footwear, and streetwear partners. Documented adidas projects included shoes, shorts, track pants, sweatpants, knit bomber jackets, and hoodies. These collections extend the brand into partner-led categories while retaining its emphasis on clean design and premium athletic functionality.
Marketing campaigns
- adidas collaboration
International
Reigning Champ worked with adidas on a product collaboration spanning footwear and apparel, including shoes, shorts, track pants, sweatpants, knit bomber jackets, and hoodies.
Outcome. Expanded the brand’s visibility across global athletic and streetwear channels.
- Multi-partner sport and streetwear collaborations
International
The brand collaborated with Everest, ASICS Tiger, Major League Soccer, the National Basketball Association, and Converse across sport, footwear, and lifestyle categories.
Outcome. Broadened Reigning Champ’s cultural and sporting associations.
Brand decisions
2021
Join Aritzia through acquisitionM&ABackground
Aritzia acquired Reigning Champ as part of the Canadian retailer’s expansion of its brand portfolio. The transaction was reported at a valuation of C$63 million.
Action taken
Reigning Champ became part of Aritzia’s corporate portfolio while remaining identified as a separate apparel brand.
Aftermath
The acquisition gave Reigning Champ access to a larger retail organization. The supplied sources do not provide detailed information about subsequent management, financial results, or operational integration.
Reported acquisition valuation. C$63 million valuation (2021)
Recent events
- 2021
Aritzia acquired Reigning Champ[1]
M&A
Canadian apparel retailer Aritzia acquired Reigning Champ in a transaction reported at a valuation of C$63 million, bringing the Vancouver athleticwear label into Aritzia’s brand portfolio.
Reigning Champ collaborated with adidas on athletic and lifestyle apparel[1]
Campaign · Product launch
The collaboration covered products including shoes, shorts, track pants, sweatpants, knit bomber jackets, and hoodies.
Reigning Champ expanded its collaboration portfolio across sport and streetwear[1]
Campaign · Other
Documented collaborators have included Everest, ASICS Tiger, Major League Soccer, the National Basketball Association, and Converse.
Sources4 sources
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