What to know
- The Heated Rivalry fleece, seen on the show and worn by Hudson Williams, launched for just under $400, angering many fans.
- 10 per cent of jacket proceeds go to charity, but details on pricing and sizing were withheld until pre-orders opened.
- Some fans criticized the use of polyester and questioned the value, while others made their own versions for less.
- Despite the backlash, the jacket sold out quickly as fans gave in to FOMO and the allure of official merch.
After months of anticipation for Heated Rivalry’s fleece jacket worn by Shane Hollander to be available for purchase, Canadians are disappointed by the hefty price tag.
Canadian book-turned-show, Heated Rivalry, has quickly become everyone’s favourite show for challenging traditional views of masculinity in sports, and for its representation of queer love.
Fans soon started requesting the fleece jacket Hudson Williams, who played star character Shane Hollander, had worn in the second episode of the show.
Hudson also gave a jacket to Prime Minister Mark Carney, who immediately wore it at the Prime Time conference.
After creating a petition on change.org and sparking an online movement, dubbed ‘#releasethefleece,’ fans have finally won, but many details were withheld.
Known to the public, Accent Aigu Entertainment had partnered with Canadian apparel brand Province of Canada to produce and distribute the jacket, with 10 per cent of proceeds to be donated to charity.
Pricing and sizing were still unknown.
Now, the white zip-up fleece with maple leaves on each arm and ‘CANADA’ embroidered on the back, with red collar accents, is finally out. But fans are not happy about the $356 price tag.
Read More
- ‘Heated Rivalry’ fleece jacket to be sold as official merch after viral petition
- ‘Heated Rivalry’s’ Hudson Williams shares viral moment with Prime Minister Mark Carney
- ‘Heated Rivalry’s’ Hudson Williams reveals professional athletes have been coming out to him via email
- ‘The best antidote to hate,’ Heated Rivalry showrunner Jacob Tierney on the importance of Queer joy and representation
@mikechaar @td_canada @cibc @rbc @bmocanada do either of you offer loans for Pride month? 🫣🌈 #heatedrivalry #heatedrivalryfleece #heatedrivalryjacket #pridemonth ♬ LoFi Hip Hop Commercial – Milan Paloyannidis
“I’m sorry, charging this much for the Heated Rivalry fleece during Pride month is homophobic,” the Heated Rivalry fan said in a TikTok video.
Fans were just as outraged with the prices, especially for the material.
“And it’s POLYESTER,” one TikTok user wrote.
Some prefer making their own jackets to avoid spending so much money.
“I made mine for 100, but I did buy quality fleece,” another said.
“I just wish they had given more details on price/materials prior to preorders opening,” the user wrote. “If it’s going to be expensive because they’re paying their employees a living wage, sure, but by withholding the details so long, it felt like they wanted fans to just blindly buy it no matter the price in order to get it before it sold out. I’ll be making my own.”
But others couldn’t hold back and bought the jacket anyway.
“Like it’s an adequate price for locally made and resourced, sure, but the fact that it was not released, how much it would be until the pre-order dropped is what got me,” one user wrote.
“And I still bought it. FOMO was brutal, I couldn’t help it,” another added.
@mikechaar The jury has spoken and the verdict is…OVERPRICED! For 71% polyester and 29% wool, do you think the Heated Rivalry fleece jacket is too expensive? 👀 #heatedrivalry #heatedrivalryfleece #heatedrivalryjacket ♬ original sound – mikechaar
The TikTok creator asked his dad, with 45 years of experience in the clothing manufacturing industry, whether the jacket was too expensive. Based on his expertise, the 71 per cent polyester and 29 per cent wool materials for the jacket should’ve totalled $180, almost half the price of what’s being sold.
The jacket has still ended up selling out as of Wednesday, with no updates at this time on whether there will be a restock.
