Four options for a hoodie for men in a North Indian winter are compared here, two from Puma and two from the Domyos range at Decathlon.
The product pages differ on fabric, closure and fit. Only the two Puma pages state fibre percentages, while the two Domyos pages use names such as warm brushed fleece and list no composition.
Hoodies for the office, for college or for an evening walk are all covered by the same four listings. What each page states is kept apart here from what its product name suggests.
What fleece means on these pages
Each of the four hoodies carries the word in its name or description, yet the fabric details behind it differ a great deal.
Puma lists the fabric of its slim fit hoodie as French terry, a blend of cotton and polyester, even though the product title reads Fleece. The title and the fabric line describe two different things, and a reader quoting only the title would pass on the wrong fabric.
The full zip Puma hoodie is also called a fleece hoodie. Its page lists the shell as a blend of cotton and polyester, so the name does not point to a single fabric type across the two Puma listings.
Decathlon uses the word in the product name of both Domyos hoodies. The hooded sweatshirt is named warm brushed fleece, and its page does not say which fibre was brushed or what makes the garment warm.
Fabric weight, written as grams per square metre (GSM), appears on none of the four pages. Two hoodies carrying the same label cannot be compared on thickness from these listings.
Online Clothing Study defines GSM as the grams of fabric in one square metre. It gives a range of 200 to 300 GSM for fleece jackets and sweatshirts.
For lighter knitted T shirts, the same site gives 120 to 180 GSM. Not one of the four hoodie pages states a figure that could be placed against either range.
The only statements about warmth come from the brand. The Domyos zip up page says the item “will keep you warm while doing any activity”, and the other Domyos item is warm by name. These are descriptions written by Decathlon and not measurements.
Closure and cut
Puma’s Sport model is the one listing with a complete description, which covers a full zip and an adjustable hood on a regular fit. Sizes run from XS to XXL.
The slim fit Puma hoodie is cut close to the body, as its name says, and finishes with ribbed cuffs and hem. Its page is silent on whether the hood is fixed or adjustable, or whether the garment is a pullover or a zip style.
Only two of the four pages name a fit, one regular and one slim. The Domyos pages name none, so a reader cannot tell from them how roomy either garment is.
Zip up is part of the name of one Domyos hoodie, and its page lists five colours. The page gives no zip type or length, so the closure is left undescribed.
Decathlon lists the Domyos hooded sweatshirt as a hooded garment without any detail on the hood or on whether it has a zip. Sizes run from S to 2XL, the same range as the zip up model.
Descriptively, the Puma full zip suits a buyer who wants an adjustable hood on a regular fit. The Puma slim fit suits a buyer who prefers a closer cut. Decathlon positions the zip up for gym and everyday use, and the sweatshirt for everyday wear, as its product name describes it.
The two Puma hoodies
Puma makes its slim fit model, the Fleece Men’s Slim Fit Hoodie in Intense Red, from 68% cotton and 32% polyester in a French terry fabric.
Its cuffs and hem are ribbed. The page gives no GSM, hood construction or care instructions.
In the full zip listing, the model is named the PUMA Sport Men’s Full Zip Fleece Hoodie in Evening Blue, with a shell of 66% cotton and 34% polyester. The ribbed cuffs include elastane, and the hood lining is all cotton.
Puma states, as a brand claim, that this item is “Made with at least 50% recycled materials”. The page does not say which fibres are recycled.
A buyer who wants the fibre content of the shell, the cuffs and the hood lining written down will find that detail on the full zip page and nowhere else among the four. The slim fit page states one blend for the whole garment.
The two Domyos hoodies
Decathlon sells both items under the Domyos name. The Men’s Fleece Zip Up Gym Hoodie in Black carries the brand line quoted above, and its page gives no fibre composition, fabric weight, zip type or length, or care instructions.
Its sibling, the Men’s Warm Brushed Fleece Hooded Sweatshirt in Grey, is named warm brushed fleece in its title. Its page gives no fibre content, GSM, hood or zip construction, or care instructions.
Both pages show a warranty line. The line links to a guarantee page, and the terms on that page are not repeated on the product pages.
The Domyos listings therefore rest on the brand name, the product title and the sizing. A buyer who values a stated composition has less to go on here than with the Puma pages.
Washing and drying fleece
Puma’s full zip page says to wash and iron the hoodie inside out. It also says to close all fastenings before washing and to use a washing bag.
The slim fit Puma page and both Domyos pages carry no care instructions at all. Care guidance from other companies covers fleece in general and does not refer to these four garments.
Columbia says fleece should be washed gently in cold water, and that very hot water can make fleece shrink. The company suggests a mild detergent with an extra rinse so that detergent residue does not build up in the fabric.
As per Columbia, fleece should not be washed together with zipped or hook and loop items. Those items can cause pilling.
Jack Wolfskin gives similar steps for a fleece jacket. The company asks owners to close zips and Velcro and to turn the garment inside out, and the wash is a gentle cycle at 30 degrees Celsius.
For drying, Columbia recommends air drying, with a dryer used only on a low heat or air setting. Jack Wolfskin rules out tumble drying and drying on a radiator, and suggests hanging the fleece for one to two hours.
The company adds that a brief low heat tumble after about half an hour of air drying can restore fluffiness, provided the full cycle is not run.
Shrinkage and pilling
No page gives a shrinkage figure for any of the four hoodies. Two of them are cotton led blends, so guidance on cotton knits is the nearest reference available.
Asket says cotton jersey should be air dried and kept out of the tumble dryer, and that the natural shrinkage of cotton happens mostly during drying. The company adds that looser or more elastic knits shrink more than firm cotton knits.
Research reported by Textile World, from Cotton Incorporated, found that tumbling in a dryer shrinks cotton more than the heat of drying does. The tumbling pulls moisture out of the fabric.
Fabricis is a commercial blog and not a testing body. It gives an average cotton shrinkage of 3 to 5% in general and says thinner cottons shrink more.
The same blog describes knits as less stable than wovens, able to shrink noticeably in length and to twist after washing. It advises against the dryer for knits.
REI says abrasion is almost always what causes pilling, and that soft, fuzzy fabrics such as fleece pill more readily than tightly woven nylon. Pills can be picked or brushed off by hand or cut with a pill shaver, and REI says light and dark items should be washed separately so that fibres do not transfer.
Care labels and fibre declarations
IS 14452 is the Indian Standard for care labelling symbols and is identical to the international standard ISO 3758. It covers washing, bleaching, ironing and drying after washing.
The standard applies to made up articles that are at least 80% textile by mass. That includes garments, and the standard requires symbols to be legible and not hidden by features such as a stitched seam.
Wikipedia’s laundry symbol article says a number inside the washing tub symbol gives the maximum wash temperature in Celsius. A hand in the tub means hand wash only, at not above 40 degrees Celsius.
In the tumble dry symbol, one dot means reduced temperature drying and two dots mean normal temperature drying.
An Indian legal advice article lists what loose garments must carry under the Legal Metrology packaged commodities rules. The maker or importer name and address must appear, along with a consumer care email and phone number. Size is given in standard letters with metric measurements.
That article does not list fibre content or care instructions among the mandatory declarations for loose garments. A fibre percentage on a hoodie is not something the rules as described there require.
Sizing, returns and warranty terms
Puma’s German size guide tells the shopper to measure the chest at the fullest point with the tape level, and the shoulder width across the back. Sleeve length is measured from the centre back to the wrist with the arm slightly bent. The page is written for the German market and not for India.
LookSize publishes a Decathlon size chart, and it is a third party page not run by Decathlon. The chart gives men’s international chest ranges from XS to 5XL without stating units. It lists outerwear, T shirts and sweaters rather than hoodies or sweatshirts.
Puma’s India returns page says a return needs the item unused, with its original tags and packaging intact. Damaged or tampered items are not accepted.
Where several units of the same size are bought, the same page says all of them must be sent back together.
Both Decathlon pages link their warranty line to a guarantee page, and the Puma full zip page describes a return window for qualifying orders. The Decathlon guarantee terms are not shown on the product pages.
