There's something undeniably satisfying about a well-made fleece jacket. That particular combination of warmth without weight, the soft hand feel, the way it moves with you rather than restricting you. For over forty years, fleece has occupied a unique space, equally at home on windswept peaks and city sidewalks, beloved by climbers and style-conscious urbanites alike. At Gramicci, we've been working with fleece since the very beginning, back when the material itself was still fresh from the lab. As we look at our Fall & Winter 2025 collection, it's worth exploring where fleece came from and why we all love it.
The Origin Story
The fleece story begins in 1979 with an elegant design: polyester fibers knitted into a fabric, then brushed to create air-trapping loops that provided insulation without the bulk, weight, or moisture retention of regular materials.
What made fleece transformative wasn't just its technical properties, though those were impressive. It dried quickly, breathed well, maintained warmth even when wet, and required none of the delicate care that wool demanded. More importantly, it mainstreamed performance. Suddenly, serious outdoor capability was accessible and easy to maintain.
The material caught on immediately. By the early 1980s, fleece had become standard issue in outdoor circles. Climbers, hikers, and mountain guides embraced it. It was during this pivotal moment, 1982, to be precise, that Gramicci was founded by climber Mike Graham in his Ventura garage.
Gramicci and Fleece from Day One
When Mike Graham started making gear, he was solving real problems for real climbers. He wasn't precious about where solutions came from. The diamond-shaped gusset in the G-Pants came from kung-fu trousers. The integrated belt was inspired by backpack straps. Graham pulled from work-wear, martial arts, military surplus, honestly, whatever worked.
Fleece fit naturally into this philosophy. While Gramicci became legendary for our climbing pants, that gusseted crotch and integrated belt system changed how people moved. Fleece was part of our identity from the start. The same principles applied: functional, durable, and designed for genuine movement.
What made those early Gramicci fleece pieces work was their restraint. No unnecessary features, no aggressive styling. Just clean lines, thoughtful construction, and proportions that made sense. Look at vintage Gramicci fleece from the 1980s today, and the designs still feel contemporary. That's the mark of something done right.
Two Textures, Different Applications
Today, Gramicci works primarily with two distinct types of fleece, each serving different purposes.
Polar Fleece represents the original vision. With a smooth, tight-knit surface and moderate pile height, it offers an ideal balance of warmth, breathability, and versatility. It's the fleece you reach for as a midlayer on cold days or as an outer layer during shoulder seasons. Polar fleece became the standard because it simply works.
Sherpa Fleece, what the industry calls high-pile, takes a different approach. With longer, shaggier fibers and a textured surface, Sherpa creates deeper air pockets that trap more warmth. The result is a fleece that feels more substantial, both physically and aesthetically.
Gramicci FW25
Our FW25 collection showcases both polar and sherpa fleece across a range of styles that demonstrate the material's versatility. We're not chasing trends or attempting to reinvent what already works. Instead, we're drawing on decades of experience, from that garage in Ventura to the streets of Tokyo, to create pieces that honor fleece's technical heritage while acknowledging its current moment. 
Why Fleece Endures
Why does fleece continue to resonate across such different contexts and generations?
Part of it is certainly practical; the material performs well. But there's something more. In an era of increasingly complex technical fabrics and hyper-specific gear, fleece maintains an appealing straightforwardness. It doesn't promise to regulate your body temperature through phase-change materials or repel water through nano-coatings. It's just polyester, knitted and brushed, doing exactly what it's designed to do. That simplicity is honest.
At Gramicci, we've been part of fleece's story since those early days when the material was still being figured out. As we continue working with both polar and Sherpa, we're not trying to revolutionize what works. We're refining, iterating, staying true to the principles that have made both Gramicci and fleece endure: functionality, durability, and timeless design.
The mountains taught us what matters. Fleece learned the same lessons. That's why, more than forty years later, both are still here and still relevant. Original, functional clothing, designed with movement in mind, wherever you're going, whatever you're doing.
