A Brief Review of the Roots of the Modern Day Hoody

Reference: G Star Hoody

The earliest known form of hoody that we know today was the cowl with hood worn by monks in Europe during the Middles Ages period of history.

The re-emergence of the hoody in recent times can be traced to the nineteen thirties where it was favored by workmen in unpleasant evironments such as warehouses, as a protection against bad wintery weather. The Champion company saw the opportunity and became an early producer of this garment and this made the garment widely known.

The appeal of the hoody eventually spread beyond the harsh environments of freezing warehouses, helped in part by the designer Claire McCardell, who included the hoody in her fashion lines.

The Hip-hop culture of the nineteen seventies created a further surge in the popularity of the hoody and is creditted with establishing the item as a modern day classic clothing item. The hoody provided cover and instant anonymity and is popular for criminals. This gave the hoody an edgy cool. Popular culture quickly used this motif. For example in the boxing hero movie ‘Rocky’ the hoody is a central part of the image. It wasn’t too long before the hoody gained additional kudos as a gritty urban clothing item. Since then the hoody has been This was furthered by its adoption by the urban poor in both the UK, the USA and parts of Europe. and has gone on to be an incredibly popular and widespread item of clothing.

Many companies now design and make hoodys. A great example is the G Star range of hoodies. For examples check out G Star Hoody