The DEXON™ Blog

Product Deep Dives

Not Just Merch: The Design Process Behind The Classic Collection.

Geolian Coleiro

Content Writer

12/09/2025
2 min read

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The Classic Collection

I’ve learnt the hard way that life outdoors is brutal on clothes, trust me I was raised on a farm and everything we owned was gifted or hand-me downs. My parents understood that living on a farm with 3 boys running around was not a great combination with expensive branded clothing. That’s not to say I didn’t care about clothes back then. I did. But my parents were realists. They knew their money was better spent on things like fencing materials or wheat for the sheep, not splashing out on Rip Curl tees that’d end up torn, stained, or two sizes too small after a growth spurt.

These days, now that I’m “adulting” my way through life, I’ve flipped the script a bit. The gear I wear, I actually want to look after and I tend to go for comfort over style and always run with the mindset a friend told me many years ago, “A poor man pays twice”. That engraved in mind, my personal day to day clothing is super versatile and can be worn not only in the office but at the family farm, at home and on most weekends away. Clothing shouldn’t have to be overly expensive to be “good quality” these days especially with so many options available.

Now after working in the rag trade for nearly a decade,I’ve picked up a few pointers on cuts, comfort, and all the little considerations most people don’t think about. I learnt from working with brands like Hugo Boss, Roger David, Quiksilver, and STEDI, and it gave me a crash course in customers, design, and what actually matters when you’re choosing the right gear. Back then I never thought all that time would lead me here, designing my own range.

To start this article off, it’s important to note that the DEXON™ Classic Collection wasn’t a product pulled off a rack in a factory, it was designed with care, consideration, and built from a custom template curated by myself, my business partners, and the founder of a reputable international fashion house. My vision was very clear, and I was fortunate enough to not only be a customer in the industry but also share many of the same objectives, thoughts, and ideas that fellow campers and adventurers have. So yes, we didn’t take the “copy and paste” route. And honestly, that’s not what we ever want to do with a collection like this. From day one, I wanted our merch to be designed and built properly, the kind of stuff you actually want to wear, not something that feels too fancy for a snag by the fire or too flimsy to last a dozen washes.

Starting with Purpose

From day one, we knew this couldn’t be a “grab a blank, print a logo, call it a day” project. That’s not DEXON™. The Classic Collection had to be built from the ground up with care, with testing, and with the same mindset that drives everything else we do. So the first thing I asked myself was: what makes a good garment? Not what’s trending. Not what looks sharp in a shop window. But what makes me reach for a tee or hoodie day after day? And on the flip side, what makes me chuck one back in the drawer and never wear it again?

We started pulling apart what we loved and hated about the gear we already owned. Quality. Sustainability. Comfort. Assurance. That became our checklist. We went through competitor gear from big names like YETI, North Face, Kathmandu, Arc’teryx, and Hunters Element. We tested fabrics, fit, washing care, and branding application. We weren’t reinventing the wheel, but we were damn sure going to build something better to suit our lifestyle and all the elements Australia loves throwing at you.

Drafting the Design

The big takeaway was obvious: comfort always comes first. People who spend time outdoors want gear that works with them, not against them. Warmth, breathability, and movement mattered way more than chasing seasonal trends or what some influencer wore on Tik-Tok. We started sketching around the core elements that mattered, cuts and templates that gave you freedom to move, without drowning you in excess fabric, colour selections, fabric blends, GSM weights, and branding followed. Piece by piece, we built up what would become the Classic tee and hoodie collection.

“We put as much thought, process, and consideration into this project as we would any other. It taught us more then we imagined.”

DEXON™ HQ, Victoria - Photos by Dermie M

Getting the Fit Right

Sizing was huge for me. Nothing worse than a hoodie that feels like a straitjacket or a tee that shrinks after one wash. I wanted our gear to feel natural, roomy enough to move in, but not so oversized that you look like you’re walking down the street in an Oodie. We tested on different body types, tweaked sleeves, played with length options and looked into every option and avenue. I wore samples stacking wood, sat in the hilux on long drives and even sinking a few cold ones by the fire, which was super essential. If something felt off, it was back to the drawing board. Through this process, we adjusted hoodie sizes, tweaked the neck hems, and even enlarged the kangaroo pocket for extra warmth for gloves and storage space. Branding locations were tested along with different cuts, styles and sleeve options. It seemed to option a world of possibilities.

Templates and Fabrics

Cutting templates were a whole new world for me. Luckily, having a fashion designer involved made life easier because templates are everything. They decide how the seams sit, how the neckline holds, and whether the whole garment keeps its shape after a dozen wears. For the tees, we refined the shoulder drop and ribbed collar, high enough to feel solid without feeling restrictive. For hoodies, we focused on hood panels, pocket depth, and structure. Fabric was its own rabbit hole. Too thin feels cheap. Too heavy feels like it weighs you down. After testing blend after blend, we landed on cotton-spandex tees with a regular cut and an off-the-shoulder sleeve. The hoodies, 350GSM brushed cotton fleece, warm, structured, durable, with a double-stitched hood big enough for a beanie or headphones. We finished with bold embroidery across both garments and are proud to say the silhouette sizing templates is ours, its not like anything on the market you can find and its made with passion and consideration.

“From the first sketch to the final stitch, every step was deliberate, nothing about the Classic Collection happened by accident.”

Noojee, Victoria - Photos by Geolian Coleiro

Classic For A Reason

I’ve always had a gripe with most everyday hoodies and tees. They’re either flimsy and see-through after a couple of washes, or stiff as a board and uncomfortable from day one. That’s why, for the DEXON™ Classics, we landed on fabrics that strike the right balance: the tee in a 280GSM Pima cotton blend with a touch of elastane, and the hoodie in a heavyweight 350GSM brushed fleece. Both are solid without being heavy, soft without being weak, and built to move with you instead of against you. Perfect for hauling gear, splitting wood, layering up on cold mornings, or just sinking a beer by the fire. We also obsessed over structure. For the tee, that meant a high ribbed collar, nothing worse than a neckline that sags after a few washes. For the hoodie, we went with a double-stitched hood and oversized arm templates with a reasonably tight ribbed cuff and hem. Both were designed to hold their shape, sit clean, and last the test of time.

Why Pima Cotton? The Classic Tee is made from Pima cotton, and that choice was no accident. Pima is known as one of the world’s premium cottons, longer fibres mean a softer hand feel, better breathability, and greater durability. It doesn’t pill as quickly as regular cotton, it holds colour better, and it feels smoother against the skin. Blending it with a touch of elastane gave us the best of both worlds: the natural comfort and strength of Pima, plus that little bit of stretch that makes it move with you and bounce back into shape. In short, it’s the difference between a tee that feels “average” and one that feels like your favourite from the first wear. It’s one of those things you will now notice if you haven’t before and well, we’re not going back.

When it came to branding, we made a deliberate choice to go with embroidery instead of screen printing or digital printing. Why? Because eventually prints fade, crack, and peel over time, especially after a few too many washes or when they cop a bit of sun and dirt outdoors. Embroidery, on the other hand, holds strong. It’s more durable, has texture and depth, and gives the garment that premium finish without feeling over the top. We wanted the logo to be part of the garment, not just sitting on top of it. It ties the Classic Hoodie and Tee together, makes them feel consistent as a range, and most importantly, ensures the branding lasts just as long as the fabric itself. The main logo sits clean and confident on the chest of both garments, it’s deliberate, centred, and designed to feel timeless rather than trendy. Placement here is no accident; the chest is where the eye naturally falls, a spot that carries weight without feeling overdone. But what really elevates the design are the subtle monogram hits. On the tee, we stitched a small embroidery at the back neck, and on the hoodie, it’s placed neatly on the sleeve. These placements are about balance, they create interest and identity from every angle without drowning the garment in branding.

Testing in the Wild

Paper and sketches only go so far. The real test was in the wild, camping trips, farm runs, high-country slopes. I wore them through off-roading in the far east of Victoria, hauling wood, and even wiped my greasy hands on them once or twice after a quick bite on the go. Every sample went through washes: cold cycle, inside out, air-dried. No gimmicks, no “special care required.” If it didn’t hold shape, if the embroidery frayed, if it didn’t feel right after a weekend away, we made tweak. The goal was simple: create gear that looked after itself. Wash, wear, repeat. Nothing precious, nothing complicated.

Why We Took It Seriously

Sure, the easy road was there, blanks, a logo, done and that same old copy and paste method. But that’s not us. We poured time, effort, and care into this because we wanted something real. Something that didn’t just look good on Instagram, but actually lived up to the outdoors and your expectations, we want our customer to feel value for money and grab our gear as they head out for a weekend away. This was never about fashion. It was about building gear that fits the life we live, around campfires, on long drives, and in the paddock. It was a long project, with plenty of trial and error, but seeing the final pieces arrive made it worth every bit of effort. I couldn’t be prouder of how the Classic Collection turned out. Every stitch, every cut, every choice was considered. And now that it’s here, I can say with full confidence, this isn’t just merch. It’s everyday outdoor gear, built the right way, not the easy way.

So when you pull on a DEXON™ Classic tee or hoodie, know that it wasn’t churned out of a factory catalogue. It was designed with intention, tested in the real world, and made to last. Built for comfort. Built for the outdoors. Built for you.