The Hooded Sweatshirt Style Is Branching Out to Fit All Ages

1. The Hooded Sweatshirt Style Is Branching Out to Fit All Ages Whenever the word "sweat" is used to describe clothing, people turn down their noses. They consider it a guilty pleasure, something you simply wear at home on the weekends. Dressing in sweats in public shows someone lacking success and motivation. However , hooded sweatshirts are breaking that the history of the hooded sweatshirts and are, in fact , becoming couture. Hooded sweatshirts, additionally called a hoodie, are a sweatshirt with a muff sewn into the front, a hood often with a drawstring, and sometimes possess a vertical zipper. The term hoodie is more used to refer to the pullover sweatshirt with a hood rather than a zip-up version. Design for a hoodie originated long ago somewhere unexpected. Monks in Medieval Europe made the old school hoodie popular. A lengthy, decorative hood called a cowl was attached to their robes or tunic. The hood was worn as a

2. meditative tool when studying religion and worshipping. Soon outdoor worker began wearing a chaperon, or hooded gabardine. Mass production of hooded sweatshirts began in the 1930s during the Great Depression. Perhaps this is where the connotation of apathy began to be associated with sweat clothing. Yet Champion marketed hooded sweatshirts for upstate New York laborers working in freezing temps. Here, a hooded sweatshirt is actually associated with hard labor. In the 1970s, the hooded sweatshirt shot up in popularity because of pop culture. There are many sources for this popularity. The movie Rocky was released with the famous scene of Sylvester Stallone exercising in a hoodie. More people invested in hoodies after the movie, but they were used as a workout device. Not a trend. The hooded sweatshirt fashion statement began on the runway during this era. High profile designers such as Norma Kamali glamorized the brand new hoodie style. This was not enough to boost its reputation, as hip-hop culture also influenced the hoodie. The available hood provided anonymity, an appealing feature for the criminal side of hip-hop culture. Hip-hop culture gave the hoodie a criminal connotation, but that changed in the 1990s when the hoodie style became revolutionized. Instead of criminalization, the actual hoodie represented isolation, academia, and fashion. Hoodies with university logos became a popular way to brag about schooling, associating the clothing with youth. Designers at this time also began accessing the hoodie for fashion statements. It nevertheless represented youth. Designer hoodie style was popularized by rapper Sean "Diddy" Combs, giving hip-hop a new, disposition definition instead of criminal. Young skateboarders and surfers made the hoodie their fashion statement which unfortunately gave the clothing the lazy reputation. The history of the hoodie shows one thing is certain - hoodies are for young people. They are very popular within middle and high school as well as college. Mark Zuckerburg made the hoodie even more famous when he wore it to a disciplinary hearing. At the time, the fashion choice was looked down upon, but

3. now it is seen as successful non-conformity. Viewing the hoodie in the professional world as non-conformist means regular adults would never dream of wearing it to work. But there is no reason to not. Monks wore it to show devotion. Great Depression workers wore it to do their jobs better. College students wear it to concentrate more on their studies over appearance. The hoodie has utilitarian purposes, yet is still regarded as a casual wear product. Designers are changing that definition. They encourage people of all ages to wear clothes that excite them. Placing hooded sweatshirts under suit jackets combines casual wear with professional appearance. The casual couture look may eventually escape to the everyday working business class.