What we want and need from our clothes has changed quite a bit recently; a global pandemic will do that to a man’s wardrobe. Our habits have altered; our schedules, hampered; routines have been transformed by working from home and our priorities are different. In the face of gyms being closed, some of us have implemented rigorous at-home training regimens; others have taken up gentler pursuits, such as occasionally nipping out for a jog, promptly spotting a rogue cloud in the sky and immediately retreating to the soothing embrace of our sofas.

So, yes, while clothes that boast the properties of practicality, versatility and comfort have shot to the top of our sartorial preferences, we’d argue one thing hasn’t changed: the fundamental need for something warm to wear as winter starts to set in. And this, you might have already guessed, is where Reigning Champ enters the picture.

Founded in Vancouver in 2007 by Mr Craig Atkinson, a man who cut his teeth importing vintage American sportswear and streetwear to Japan, the Canadian brand has been making a name for itself producing all manner of comfy, serviceable clothes. Hence its motto: “Respect the details. Master simplicity”. As the Reigning Champ name indicates, the sport of boxing was the label’s starting point and, unsurprisingly, sweats and workout gear remain its bread and butter. But while function ranks high on its list of priorities, the brand considers form just as important. The latest in a long line of collaborations (it teamed up with Mr Muhammad Ali’s estate in 2018 and has partnerships with Converse and the NBA under its belt), this year’s coalition with Polartec (yes, the textile firm that made fleeces a “thing” back in the early 1980s) highlights just how effortlessly it can marry technical innovation with stylish nous.

Now available at MR PORTER, the line is made entirely at the brand’s cut-and-sew facility in Vancouver and is modelled here by Mr Triston Brookes – an up-and-coming Canadian middleweight boxer with his eyes trained on hopes of Olympic glory in 2021 – in Reigning Champ’s moody greyscale autumn/winter 2020 campaign. This isn’t the only time the brand has joined forces with Polartec (formerly known as Malden Mills until its breakthrough synthetic fleece took the world by storm), but it does mark the debut of the first complete collection, as well as a few serious developments on the textile front.

The Stadium fleece jackets, for example, are made from Polartec’s Thermal Pro® fabric, a shearling-like material engineered to dry extra fast (unlike its organic alternative) and reduce pilling, while the Power Air™ sweatpants are designed to trap heat more effectively and shed up to five times less than traditional fleece jersey, as well as minimise drag – and, thus, encourage increased performance and speed – during activity.

Moving onto the base layers – which, as any seasoned sportsman will tell you, are an essential piece of cold-weather-braving kit – there is a nifty T-shirt crafted from Power Dry™, a clever fibre with top-notch moisture managing and air-circulating properties. Another is crafted from Power Wool™, a textile knitted with temperature-regulating and anti-microbial merino wool – it blends the best that natural and synthetic fibres have to offer athletes, but does away with its downsides by improving shape-retention and durability.

With such technical virtues backing it, the collection is more than capable of standing up to an intensive sparring – or running or weightlifting or Hiit – session, but we’d argue it’s also just as useful outside of the ring as in. Comfortable, warm and endlessly versatile, whether you’re attempting to beat your personal best or simply putting your all into a Netflix marathon, it’s just what you need right now.