Reigning Champ vs Wax London
These two brands share a price tier and almost nothing else. Reigning Champ is a Vancouver-made athletic brand that has quietly become the benchmark for premium fleece and performance basics. Wax London is a London label making textured, pattern-forward pieces in Portugal and Italy, aimed at the guy who wants his wardrobe to have a little personality without going full fashion week. Comparing them directly is a bit like comparing a good gym and a good restaurant: the scores are close, but the use cases barely overlap.
Across 8 scored pieces, Reigning Champ averages 7.6/10. Across 7, Wax London averages 7.7/10. That gap is noise. Where they actually differ: Reigning Champ is more consistent across its range, with every scored piece landing between 7.6 and 8.1. Wax London's range is wider, anchored by an exceptional overshirt at 9.2 but with the rest of the lineup clustered in the mid-sevens. If you want reliable athletic and everyday basics made in Canada, Reigning Champ is the cleaner answer. If you want pieces with more visual interest and you're willing to pick carefully, Wax London has a higher ceiling.
Choose Reigning Champ if you want consistent, well-made athletic basics and fleece with no surprises.
Reigning Champ review →Choose Wax London if you want texture and pattern in your wardrobe and are happy to pick the right pieces rather than buy broadly.
Wax London review →On make
Reigning Champ manufactures primarily at CYC Design Corporation in Vancouver, which is a genuine differentiator at this price. The Midweight Terry RC33 Hoodie at $148 and the Solotex Mesh pieces are the clearest argument for what in-house Canadian production buys you: consistent fabric weight, controlled construction, and a fit that doesn't drift season to season. Wax London works out of Portugal and Italy, with some outerwear made in the UK. The Whiting overshirt at $235 is the proof of concept: the check pattern and fabric texture are the kind of thing you don't get from a brand cutting corners on sourcing. Both are honest about where things are made, which is more than most brands at this price point will tell you.
On range
Reigning Champ's scored lineup is narrow by design: t-shirts, a hoodie, a polo, shorts. Everything is built around the same athletic-meets-everyday brief, and the scores reflect that coherence, with nothing below 7.6. Wax London covers shirts, t-shirts, and shorts, and the range in scores is wider. The Whiting overshirt at 9.2 is the standout piece in this entire comparison, and the short sleeve button-ups and textured tees are where the brand earns its reputation for being loud but not too loud. The linen and waffle shorts ($130 and $150 respectively) score well but are priced higher than comparable Reigning Champ shorts, which is worth noting.
On value
Reigning Champ's t-shirts start at $75 and top out at $88 for the Textured Terry. For basics with Canadian production and fabric this considered, that's a fair price. The $148 hoodie is the sweet spot in the lineup: it scores 8.0 and there are few competitors making a midweight fleece this well at that number. Wax London's basics are similarly priced ($75 to $85 for tees), but the shorts run $130 to $150, which is steep for what they are. The overshirt at $235 is the one piece where the price feels proportionate to what you're getting. Buy Wax London for the overshirts and the printed short-sleeve shirts; the shorts are harder to justify on price alone.