Hoodies in Art Examples of Hoodies Hoodies can be traced back to the middle ages, and the dress code of the Catholic monks. This garment was called a Cowl. Their formal outfits consisted of a standard baggy tunic and a cowl, or long hood, to cover their heads. The modern hoodie is a variantvarient of the sweatshirt, designed originally to trap the sweat away from the body. The sweatshirt was originally a dress item of the British fisherman, who wore it because it kept them warm and relatively dry whilst working on their boats. This is where the famous Guernsey, Aran and Fair Isle sweatshirt patterns originated. The sweatshirt and its offshoots gained mainstream popularity thanks to several popular 19th Century wartime figures, the 7th Earl of Cardigan, James Brudnell (who led the infamous charge of the Light Brigade) and Lord Raglan, Fitzroy Somerset (another officer of the Crimean War). The modern version of the hoodie was designed much later in the 1930’s by Champion Sportswear for those labouring in the cold warehouses of America. Famous designers such as Claire McCardell helped ensure its entry into the mainstream fashion world by designing whole ranges around the concept of the hooded sweatshirt. The clothing only really took off forty years later though with the rising status of hip-hop culture and its ubiquitous presence in the immensely influential Rocky films of the 1970’s. By the 1990’s the hoodie had gained a strong foothold both in trendy sub-culture such as among the surfers and skaters of California and the mainstream fashion world, with brands such as Armani, tommy Hilfiger and Ralph Lauren using it as the basis for many of their collections. The association with Chavs in the UK developed around this time, as their popularity rose with that specific demographic. From: http://www.articlealley.com/article_807551_34.html A brief history of the hoodie. |
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