Russell Athletic is an American clothing manufacturer based in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Currently a subsidiary of global company Fruit of the Loom, Russell Athletic was the main brand of Russell Brands, LLC. until its acquisition in 2006.Founded in 1902, the company produced team uniforms for a wide range of sports, such as American football, basketball, baseball, softball, and volleyball. Russell Athletic supplied jersey uniforms and apparel for many professional sports teams of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada, and also high schools, colleges, universities, and minor league teams,until it shut down its team uniform division in 2017.Nevertheless, Russell reactivated the manufacturing of team uniforms in 2018 through an agreement with Georgia-based company Augusta Sportswear.Few brands represent American sportswear quite like Russell Athletic. Founded in 1902 by Benjamin Russell, the brand took its first steps into the annals of history when Russell’s son asked him to make clothing for his university football team. That led to the invention of the sweatshirt, which has remained a casual and sportswear staple ever since.That heritage is now returning to our closets through sought-after Russell Athletic thrift store pickups. The brand took advantage of the uptick in interest with a landmark 96-piece collaboration with KITH featuring 24 different colors — a nod to vintage Russell Athletic catalogs, which were full of color swatches for every piece.