Hoodie fashion draws heavily on the streets and professional athletics, with an emphasis on casual, wash-and-go convenience. Since its inception, the Champion hooded sweatshirt has been associated with blue-collar workers, athletes, hip hop artists, punks, and skater culture. Hoodie history has often been tumultuous, with the popular hooded sweatshirt associated with rebellious countercultures and gang life, as well as political activism and calls for justice.
What is a Hoodie?
A hoodie is simply a sweatshirt with a hood attached. The hood usually has a drawstring to adjust the size of the hood opening. Many hoodies include a muff sewn onto the lower front of the garment, to keep the hands warm.
Sweatshirt vs. Hoodie
There is some overlap between the definitions of sweatshirts vs. hoodies. All hoodies are sweatshirts, but only hooded sweatshirts are considered hoodies.
When Were Hoodies Invented?
Humans have added hoods to clothing for millennia. The ancient Greeks and Romans used hooded tunics for warmth and protection against the weather. The traditional garb of the medieval monk was a robe with a hood attached, and medieval peasants wore capes with hoods called chapons.
Hoods have always been popular as a protection from the elements, but they had their dark sides. Death traditionally wears a hood in Western art, and both executioners and criminals wore hoods to hide their identities. This negative impression of hoods has occasionally affected how people perceive hoodies.
As for who invented hoodies themselves, credit for that goes to Simon Feinbloom and his sons William and Abraham, founders of the Knickerbocker Knitting Company in 1919, with the intent of providing wholesale clothing. In the 1930s, the Feinblooms changed the name of their business to Champion Knitting Mills Inc. and designed the first hooded sweatshirt for warehouse workers in upstate New York. The Champion hooded sweatshirt had arrived and would go on to become one of the world’s most recognizable pieces of clothing.
Champion Sportswear
The sweatshirt was designed as a football practice jersey in the 1920s and quickly became popular with athletes of all stripes. Once the hooded sweatshirt made an appearance, it was quickly adopted by college athletes, who then introduced professional sports to the versatile hoodie. In the 1960s, Champion partnered with the National Collegiate Athletic Association. By the 1970s, Champion was the official outfitter for the National Football League. Colleges were emblazoning their logos on Champion hoodies, and football fans were keen to buy their favorite team’s hoodies.
Then came 1976, and a little movie called Rocky, where Rocky Balboa wore a hoodie as he jogged triumphantly up the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The hoodie had arrived, although it would be called a hooded sweatshirt until the term hoodie was coined in the 1990s.
Hoodie Fashion Hits the Streets
In the late 1970s, hip hop began to thrive in urban centers. Hip Hop artists embraced the hoodie, in part due to the garment’s association with professional athletes. Punks and skaters also liked the hoodie’s no-nonsense, practical comfort.
The hoodie’s association with these countercultures led to some people linking hooded sweatshirts with gang culture, leading to the stereotypical image of the young Black gang member in a hoodie. That the hoodie allowed muggers and graffiti artists to hide their faces did little to counteract this image. When George Zimmerman fatally shot seventeen-year-old Trayvon Martin in 2012, the young man was wearing a hoodie, a fact some media outlets were quick to report. Fox news correspondent Geraldo Riviera went so far as to warn Black and Hispanic youths not to wear hoodies to avoid being shot.
In the wake of Martin’s death, the hoodie became a symbol calling for justice, with pro athletes like LeBron James and the rest of the Miami Heat wearing hoodies on March 23, 2012, supporting Martin’s cause.
Hoodie Fashion Today
Today, the hoodie retains its street cred but has also become fashionable, appearing on international catwalks and being worn by everyone from hip hop artists to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg. Champion clothing continues to be held in high regard. Hoodies are ideal for brand customization. Popular Champion brand hoodies include:
The hoodie has had a long, popular, and sometimes controversial history. Chances are good you have at least one in your closet or that you’re wearing one right now. Next time you need effective customized clothing, consider the hoodie and let Champion’s most famous creation help build your brand.