A man wearing a hoodie

A hoodie (also called a hooded sweatshirt or hoody) is a sweatshirt with a hood. They often include a muff sewn onto the lower front, a hood, and (usually) a drawstring to adjust the hood opening, and may have a vertical zipper down the center similar to a windbreaker style jacket.

History[link]

Boy wearing a hoodie, Canada, 2010

The garment's style and form can be traced back to Medieval Europe when the formal wear for monks included a long, decorative hood called cowl worn a tunic or robes.^[1] The hooded sweatshirt was first produced in the United States starting in the 1930s. The modern clothing style was first produced by Champion in the 1930s and marketed to laborers working who endured freezing temperatures while working in upstate New York.^[2] The term hoodie entered popular usage in the 1990s.^[3]

The hoodie took off in the 1970s, with several factors contributing to its success. Hip hop culture developed in New York City around this time, and the hoodie's element of instant anonymity, provided by the accessible hood, appealed to those with criminal intent.^[2] High fashion also contributed during this era, as Norma Kamali and other high-profile designers embraced and glamorized the new clothing.^[1] Most critical to the hoodie's popularity during this time was its iconic appearance in the blockbuster Rocky film.

By the 1990s, the hoodie had evolved into a symbol of isolation, a statement of academic spirit, and several fashion collections.^{[citation needed]} The association with chavs or neds in the UK developed around this time, as their popularity rose with that specific demographic. Young men, often skateboarders or surfers, sported the hoodie and spread the trend across the western United States, most significantly in California.^{[citation needed]} The rise of hoodies with university logos began around this time.^{[citation needed]} Tommy Hilfiger, Giorgio Armani, and Ralph Lauren, for example, used the hoodie as the primary component for many of their collections in the 1990s.^[1][2]

Perception[link]

Australia[link]

In June 2011, police in Wynnum, Brisbane launched a 'Hoodie Free Zone' initiative, with shopkeepers encouraged to ask hoodie-wearers to leave. The zone is part of an initiative to educate businesses on how they can avoid armed robberies, in which the clothing is often worn.^[4]

Canada[link]

Across Canada, hoodies (also called "bunny hug" in Saskatchewan)^[5][6]) are often worn by people in many settings for warmth, protection against wind and comfort. They are often worn under a coat or jacket to provide extra layer of clothing.

New Zealand[link]

Hoodie Day was launched in May 2008 in New Zealand as part of an annual national Youth Week, a pro-youth initiative to challenge youth stereotypes.^[7] Youth Week and Hoodie Day were run by New Zealand Adolescent Health and Development (NZAAHD). The campaign resulted in debate and discussion in the media [2][3]. It was supported by a range of youth, social service, political and aged care organisations - including: Age Concern [4], Wesley Community Action, the Salvation Army, a public service trade union, UNICEF [5] and many youth work organisations. Hundreds of Hoodie Day events were held, including mufti days in schools. Support and criticism was drawn from politicians, who were divided over the event.[6]^[8] One strong response was drawn from a local government council member (Dale Evans) donning a Ku Klux Klan outfit in protest, citing the hoodie as "not an appropriate article of clothing to celebrate".^[9] Two retail complexes have banned the wearing of hoodies and non-compliance and/or defiance can result in eviction or accusation of trespass - although these bans have since been overturned, with one such complex deciding to participate in Hoodie Day. Funds were raised for Aged Care.[7]

For Hoodie Day 2009 NZAAHD asked schools and community groups to look a little closer and see the goodie in the hoodie. Several schools held Hoodie Day mufti days and all over people donned hoodies in support of young people and raised funds for NZAAHD. In total close to $4,000 was raised to help NZAAHD support groups all around Aotearoa who work with young people.

United Kingdom[link]

"No hoodies" sign outside a pub in South London

In the UK, hoodies have been the subject of much criticism; some shoplifters have used the hood to conceal their identities from CCTV cameras in shopping centres.^[10] The hoodie became popular a clothing item by the 1990s. During the 2000s, it had gained a negative image, being associated with trouble making teens and anti-social behaviour. It became one of the later items associated with "chavs", or Neds.

Angela McRobbie, professor of communications at Goldsmiths College in the UK, says the appeal of the hoodie is because of its promise of anonymity, mystery and anxiety. "The point of origin is obviously black American hip-hop culture, now thoroughly mainstream and a key part of the global economy. Leisure and sportswear adopted for everyday wear suggests a distance from the world of office suit or school uniform. Rap culture celebrates defiance, as it narrates the experience of social exclusion. Musically and stylistically, it projects menace and danger as well as anger and rage. The hooded top is one in a long line of garments chosen by young people, usually boys, to which are ascribed meanings suggesting that they are 'up to no good'. In the past, such appropriation was usually restricted to membership of specific youth cultures - leather jackets, bondage trousers - but nowadays it is the norm among young people to flag up their music and cultural preferences in this way, hence the adoption of the hoodie by boys across the boundaries of age, ethnicity and class."^[11]

In May 2005, Bluewater shopping centre in Kent caused outrage by launching a code of conduct which bans its shoppers from sporting hoodies or baseball caps, although the garments remain on sale. John Prescott welcomed the move, stating that he had felt threatened by the presence of hooded teenagers at a motorway service station.^[11] Then-Prime Minister Tony Blair openly supported this stance and vowed to clamp down on the anti-social behaviour with which hoodie wearers are sometimes associated. London-based rapper Lady Sovereign published a single titled "Hoodie" in protest as part of a "Save the Hoodie" campaign.^[12]

In 2005, Coombeshead College in the south-west of England allowed the hoodie to become part of the boys' school uniform, but the hood could be put up only when it rained. The principal, Richard Haigh, stated that the move would help to calm some of what he called the "hysteria" surrounding the garment.^[13]

In February 2006, a 58-year-old teacher who was wearing a hooded top was asked to remove it when entering a Tesco store in Swindon. According to the teacher, she was wearing the hood because "my hair's a mess". The store did not have a hoodie policy. The shop apologized and said it was taking action to "make sure this doesn't happen again."^[14]

In July 2006, David Cameron, leader of the Conservative Party, made a speech suggesting that the hoodie was worn more for defensive than offensive purposes.^[15] The speech was referred to as "hug a hoodie" by the Labour Party.^[16][17]

United States[link]

Throughout the US it is common for middle school, high school and college students to wear sweatshirts with or without hoods that display their respective school names and/or mascots across the chest either as part of a uniform or personal preference. Among the general US population, they are commonly worn while partaking in outdoor activities or as casual dress and are a near-ubiquitous^{[citation needed]} fashion item for children, teenagers and young adults.

Hoodies have become mainstream fashion transcending the hood's original utilitarian purpose,^[18] similar to jeans. This has found its way into a variety of styles, even so far as to be worn under a suit jacket^{[citation needed]}.

New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick is known for wearing hoodies, often seen while coaching his team at football games.^[19]

After the shooting of Trayvon Martin hoodies took on a national significance, as Martin was killed while wearing one. Donning a hoodie was seen as a sign of protest, and many cities across the USA staged "million hoodie marches" or "hundred hoodie marches."^{[citation needed]} Additionally, some professional athletes, including Carmelo Anthony and the entire Miami Heat roster tweeted photos of themselves wearing hoodies. Fox News Channel host Geraldo Rivera encouraged young people of color to stop wearing hoodies,^[20] comments he later apologized for.^[21]

See also[link]

Fashion portal

Look up Hoodie in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Wikiversity has learning materials about Multipurpose clothing

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Hoodies

• Anorak
• Cardigan (sweater)
• Goggle jacket

References[link]

Hoodie Allen
Background information
Birth name	Steven Markowitz
Born	(1988-08-19) August 19, 1988 (age 23) Plainview, New York, United States
Origin	Old Bethpage, New York, United States
Genres	Experimental hip hop, pop rap, hipster hop
Years active	2009–present
Website	hoodieallen.com

Steven Markowitz (born August 19, 1988), better known by his stage name Hoodie Allen, is an independent American hip-hop artist and rapper.

Early life[link]

Hoodie was born in New York City and raised in a Jewish household on Long Island^[1][2] He started writing lyrics as a child, and would perform raps for his friends at house parties.^[3][4] Growing up, his nickname was "Hoodie."^[5] He wanted a rapper name that "would stick in peoples' minds and be a little bit funny and representative of who I am," so he settled on "Hoodie Allen."^[5]

He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 2010, where he studied finance and marketing at The Wharton School, and was a brother in the Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity.^[4][6] While there, he met his producer, RJF.^[7][8] After graduating, he worked at Google as an AdWords associate in their START (Standardized AdWords Reseller Training) program.^[9] He would leave at 7 AM for a bus ride to the Google offices in Mountain View, work a full day at Google, return at 6 PM, and then write songs, answer fan emails, and schedule concerts until 2 or 3 AM.^[4] Reflecting on this, Hoodie said, "I was moving so fast, and even while I was at Google there was so much going on that I felt like I was doing two full-time jobs."^[9] His dream and passion was music, so when he got opportunities to do live shows, he decided to leave Google.^[9]

Career[link]

[edit] 2009–2012: From Bagels & Beats to Leap Year

Hoodie's first two album releases were "Bagels & Beats" and "Making Waves," which garnered him an MTVU Best Music on Campus Award in 2009.^[10] In June 2010, he released "You Are Not a Robot," which sampled 'I Am Not A Robot' by Marina & the Diamonds and which hit #1 on Hype Machine, an aggregator that collects the most-blogged about music in the world.^[4] After seeing the response, he spent the summer working, and finished his mixtape Pep Rally by September.^[7] The album was produced by RJ Ferguson, and sampled songs from Death Cab for Cutie, Flight Facilities, Marina & the Diamonds and Two Door Cinema Club. He picked the name “Pep Rally” because he said that it “captured the energy of the record. Something new and exciting.”^[11] When asked about the writing process, Hoodie said: “Throughout Pep Rally, the ideas for samples were very collaborative. We would camp out in [RJF]’s basement for a weekend and not leave till we had 3 songs done—that was the mentality.”^[7] The mixtape was downloaded over 200,000 times.^[4] He self-financed a video for “You Are Not A Robot,” which has over 3 million views.^[12][13]

In July 2011, Hoodie released his third mixtape, Leap Year, which was also produced by friend and producer RJ. It reached 250,000 SoundCloud plays in its first week of release.^[14] On the title for his mixtape, Hoodie explains: "It basically just talks to the leap of faith I took this year leaving everything else behind to be an artist."^[15] In support of the album, Hoodie headlined a 15 city tour across North America, including stops in San Francisco, New York City, and Montreal.^[16] Previously, he had toured with The Cataracs, Das Racist, Chiddy Bang, Mike Posner, and RJD2.^[17][18]

Hoodie collaborated with the cartoon band Your Favorite Martian to write the song "8-Bit World", which he raps in. He was also featured in CollegeHumor's "Jake and Amir" sketch series and in Zak Downtown's "Rock The Show."^[19]

[edit] 2012–present: All American

On March 4, 2012, Hoodie announced via Twitter that his upcoming EP would be titled All American.^[20] He decided on this title because he credits his success to America, because he felt the songs showcased his best music to date, and because of a hometown restaurant with the same title. Hoodie spent five months developing the album, building tracks from scratch with his producer, RJF, instead of using sampled beats.^[21] Regarding the writing process, Hoodie states that "I would describe it as liberating... It was like, 'Okay, I hear this idea in my head, I hear these original ideas, [and] I'm putting them and piecing them together.'"^[21] On March 29, 2012, Hoodie released the first single from All American entitled "No Interruption."^[22] The music video was posted to YouTube and was featured on the front page the same day. It currently has 2.7 million views.^[23]

The night before the album's release, Hoodie announced that he would personally call every fan that buys the album.^[24] All American was released on April 10, 2012 and debuted as the #1 album on iTunes.^[25] He is set to take a 22 stop US tour during April and May 2012 in support of All American featuring Wax^[26], Jared Evan, and others (varies from show to show)^[27]. On March 23, 2012, Hoodie hinted at an upcoming announcement of a "UK tour for June," and officially announced the four dates on April 19 via Facebook^[28]. The "I Work Better In The UK Tour" will be his first time performing overseas.

Reception[link]

In July 2011, he cracked the Top 10 of Billboard’s Uncharted Territory.^[29] For the week of August 5, 2011, Hoodie was #2 on Billboard’s Uncharted Territory, with Billboard noting that his "growing popularity is undeniable."^[14]

On April 10, 2012, his EP "All American" went to #1 on the iTunes charts within hours of its release. All American also debuted at #10 on Billboard's Top Albums.^[30]

Discography[link]

EPs[link]

Mixtapes[link]

• Making Waves (2009)
• Pep Rally (2010)
• Leap Year (2011)

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• Hoodie Allen's channel on YouTube
• Hoodie Allen on Twitter