The Hoodie Story
Hoodie? A Boogie Wit da Hoodie or the hoodie? For centuries, the hoodie has transformed into a multidimensional fashion staple worldwide for almost every kind of use. From being functional and practical to stylish and avant garde, the hoodie is here to stay. Today, almost everyone wears a hoodie these days. But, how did the hoodie story start?
The Hoodie Story: Origins
The iconic version of the hoodie that we know of today is the one that was made back in the 1930s in the U.S. The hoodie story begins here. Before it was called the “hoodie”, it was called a hooded pullover as a functional garment for workers in cold New York warehouses. One of the major companies that started to advertise this version is the Knickerbocker Knitting Company, or as known as Champion U.S.A. After Champion’s vision for the hoodie was marketed to the warehouse workers, they began to market their product to athletes. In addition, the specific use for the hoodie is for athletes to warm up throughout the game on the sidelines.
Photo by Ihor Saveliev on Unsplash Photo by Oladimeji Odunsi on Unsplash Photo by Oswaldo Ibáñez on Unsplash
1970s
After forty years of its existence, the hoodie became a fashionable and cultural staple in the 1970s, specifically during the early era of hip hop and the Rocky series. Before the hoodie was introduced in the subculture, the iconic sequence of Rocky’s training in the first movie gave it popularity. Because Rocky is a top athlete, the costume designers gave him a hoodie because that was its original purpose. At the end of his montage, he is standing on top of a flight of stairs with his arms out in victory. The hoodie became a symbol of strength for the character. In addition, after that scene, everyone wanted a piece of Rocky. In this case, they wanted to wear a hoodie. Watch the Rocky sequence below!
Now, hip-hop comes into play. For context, hip-hop began in New York City in African-American and Afro-Caribbean spaces in the 1970s. The hoodie became a staple in this counterculture because of graffiti artists who wanted to be anonymous. Another reason why they became popular in hip-hop is because of their appearances in cyphers. A cypher is a gathering where rappers, breakers, and beatboxers create music and dance together. Sometimes, they would battle through dancing or rapping as well.
1990s
The term “hoodie” began in the 1990s in the hip-hop space and now has cemented itself with artists such as Snoop Dogg and Ice Cube. In the early 1990s, having an oversized leather jacket, pants, overalls, shirts, and hoodies were the norm. So, for Snoop Dogg’s case, he is known for wearing hoodies in his music videos and in-person. His rise to fame started in the 90’s with his West Coast rap and continues on to this day. Notice how in his “Gin and Juice” music video that the hoodie now has a logo and multicolored. Before this, hoodies only had one plain color. The stylish aspect started in the 1990s as designers noticed how everyone is purchasing the item more frequently. Now, this is where the fashion industry takes reign of the historic clothing piece.
Designers like Tommy Hilfiger helped create the hoodie into a fashion statement by incorporating color blocking in the lining of the hoodie. Look at the examples below. In the 90’s, the theme was the more color, the better! Notice how Hilfiger decided to use two 90’s trends and blended them together to create the start of streetwear. With artists like Snoop Dogg and designers like Hilfiger helped increase the hoodie’s popularity to what we know of today.
Because of the 1990s, the hoodie trend is still remaining alive as more brands are creating their own hoodies! To join this classic trend, you can purchase a hoodie at any local store or online!
Featured Image by Tnarg from Pexels