Like or loathe them, they have been a lasting fashion staple for decades now and their allure does not seem to wane with each new generation. They are available in all colors, designs and sizes and are pretty much sold everywhere from stores to online. But what is it about this fashion trend that has made them attractive to so many?
Born out of necessity, it was introduced as functional work clothing and is still easily recognized from the original design with its unique hood and over sized front pocket. But it wasn't destined to remain in the domain of the unknown. It was soon to erupt onto the streets as the "must have" for leisure and sportswear fashion, but how?
The hoodie first hit the mainstream in the US during the seventies, thanks to the hip hop culture and fashion that was huge at the time. New York trends however, did not reach London that was busy having its own cultural revolution. So the item was largely unheard of in the UK until much later.
People that wear hoodie apparel do so knowing that society has its own ideas about what type of person they are. From one side of the Atlantic in the UK to the US, some of those associations are wildly different. So how can one item engender so many different ideas?
You don't have to be in the US to know how much they love this iconic garment. It has flooded the sports and leisure fashion market. Proudly worn throughout countless colleges and universities are the branded versions, making them an immediate hit.
California is home to surfers and skateboarders who have taken it to their hearts, offering it a coolness never before experienced. Although it is party to this elite group, it is still the clothing for the masses. Arguably a triumph of comfort over style, the hoodie is not out of place with many social groups.
Wearing them as sportswear is a concept embraced only in the US, where every jogger appears to be mandated to own one. In the UK, wearing a hoodie for an actual sporting event (unless attending as a spectator) is a foreign concept and reserved for stateside guests. In the UK, it marks the wearer in an entirely different light.
In the UK, you couldn't get further away from the US blue collar university association of hooded attire. The "chav" culture of the lower classes in the UK have called it an icon of its own. "Chav" culture and the wearing of them is particularly popular among the teenagers of the group, whose brooding gangs gave rise to "hoodie culture".
A ban on the wearing of them with the hood up was upheld in England a few years ago, when "chav culture" reached its peak, and fears of the crime associated with its wearers was as its height. On both sides of the Atlantic, the anonymity offered by that iconic hood has meant that it is widely used by criminals and gangs.
In the early nineties, the hoodie had its designer makeover with many big names choosing to showcase the iconic garment. It is still very much the staple of the masses though, despite the intervention, and as is its birthright. So what story of hoodie fashion will you tell the next time you put on yours?
Born out of necessity, it was introduced as functional work clothing and is still easily recognized from the original design with its unique hood and over sized front pocket. But it wasn't destined to remain in the domain of the unknown. It was soon to erupt onto the streets as the "must have" for leisure and sportswear fashion, but how?
The hoodie first hit the mainstream in the US during the seventies, thanks to the hip hop culture and fashion that was huge at the time. New York trends however, did not reach London that was busy having its own cultural revolution. So the item was largely unheard of in the UK until much later.
People that wear hoodie apparel do so knowing that society has its own ideas about what type of person they are. From one side of the Atlantic in the UK to the US, some of those associations are wildly different. So how can one item engender so many different ideas?
You don't have to be in the US to know how much they love this iconic garment. It has flooded the sports and leisure fashion market. Proudly worn throughout countless colleges and universities are the branded versions, making them an immediate hit.
California is home to surfers and skateboarders who have taken it to their hearts, offering it a coolness never before experienced. Although it is party to this elite group, it is still the clothing for the masses. Arguably a triumph of comfort over style, the hoodie is not out of place with many social groups.
Wearing them as sportswear is a concept embraced only in the US, where every jogger appears to be mandated to own one. In the UK, wearing a hoodie for an actual sporting event (unless attending as a spectator) is a foreign concept and reserved for stateside guests. In the UK, it marks the wearer in an entirely different light.
In the UK, you couldn't get further away from the US blue collar university association of hooded attire. The "chav" culture of the lower classes in the UK have called it an icon of its own. "Chav" culture and the wearing of them is particularly popular among the teenagers of the group, whose brooding gangs gave rise to "hoodie culture".
A ban on the wearing of them with the hood up was upheld in England a few years ago, when "chav culture" reached its peak, and fears of the crime associated with its wearers was as its height. On both sides of the Atlantic, the anonymity offered by that iconic hood has meant that it is widely used by criminals and gangs.
In the early nineties, the hoodie had its designer makeover with many big names choosing to showcase the iconic garment. It is still very much the staple of the masses though, despite the intervention, and as is its birthright. So what story of hoodie fashion will you tell the next time you put on yours?
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