21 Nov The Hoodie: The Cold Weather Staple

Recently a researcher friend of ours was showing us an image from a 12^th Century book from France that depicted four men working in the fields.  Our eyes widened as we looked at two of the men and said, “WAIT!  Is that a medieval hoodie?!?” and pointed at the page.  Sure enough!  One of the men wearing a hoodie was harvesting a plant and the other man was digging a hole in the field to sow more seeds (fun side note: he was also wearing a backpack – see our last blog).  Our friend nodded and laughed and we marveled at the painting for a few moments before we concluded that this was proof of a fashion staple that was more than 800 years old: the hooded sweatshirt.

Is this really possible?  Have people really been wearing hoodies for centuries?  Yes!  As our friend explained to us, the hooded tunics were worn for three different reasons: first, it protected the wearer from the sun beating down on their heads and faces, as well as protecting them from other weather elements like rain or snow.  Second, the hood being attached to the shirt helped create an insulated area that kept the wearer even warmer than a shirt plus hat would do.  And third, the hood also helped maintain some small level of privacy and mystery for the people who often wore them, such as monks.  So why do people wear them today?  Well… all of the same reasons (except the monk part)!

Today’s hoodies are ideal for teenagers, athletes, outdoorsy types and people who live in colder climates, and other weekend warriors – but that list isn’t exclusive.  In fact, a quick internet search will show you that designer, sports team, and artisan-designed hooded sweatshirts are one of the hottest items today.  A crystal-studded hoodie with appliqué, diamantés, and embroidery that was designed by rapper Sean “Diddy” Combs (or should we call him “Brother Love”?) was purchased by fashion curator Sonnet Stanfill for the Victoria & Albert Museum in London for display in their New York Fashion Now exhibit.  It got us thinking about how we would design and embellish our own hoodie line, particularly with some trendy screen printing with some of the leading apparel brands that Logos@Work offers.

Hooded sweatshirts are so legendary as a quintessential piece in everyone’s wardrobe that CEO Mark Zuckerberg famously wore a plain, dark grey hooded sweatshirt with a zipper instead of a suit during Facebook’s launch on the stock market in 2012.  It seems kind of like a missed opportunity though… imagine if your company, nonprofit, team, or group’s logo or information was ON that hoodie!  There really is nothing like good product placement and consistent brand presence to help grow and establish your enterprise.  Contact one of our consultants to see how you can make your own branded apparel today.