The Complex Story of Hoodie Fashion

Hoodies have taken a path to arguably become one of America’s favorite fashion staples: especially during the cold weather. You can find fashion icons all over social media rocking a hoodie at one point or another, even during the summer months. Hoodies are a pretty much effortless way to show some swag while not sacrificing any comfort. A solid color hoodie matches with pretty much anything and is seen with all sorts of combinations. 

Now, what exactly goes into making a hoodie? Hoodies are typically made from cotton-jersey elements with the centerpiece of course being the hood itself. Some have drawstrings, zippers, and other features to go along with them as well. What makes these hoodies so special for printers like you and me? Well, they are a perfect way to capitalize on different areas of fashion and warmth compared to regular t-shirts. Schools and other organizations love to order matching hoodies with their logos to demonstrate unity during a sports game or charity event. You can bulk order hoodies on AllDayShirts.com at direct wholesale prices.

A Brief History of the Hoodie

Evidently, the history of the hoodie dates back almost 3,000 years to the ancient Greeks and Romans. They would also show up with Medieval monks, wearing tunics with hoods and outdoor workers wearing capes with hoods. The word “hood” derives from the Anglo-Saxon word “höd” which has the same root as the word “hat.

In the 17th century, women had started to wear hoodies so that they could hide from men that they were not interested in. Although this was done to avoid conflict, it paired hoodies with an association to being scary and death. This is thought to be the reasoning behind how the hoodie was attached to the Grim Reaper and other executioners.

In 1912, an innocent 17-year-old was shot for the mere fact that he was wearing a hoodie and looked suspicious. This sparked outrage and a million hoodie march in New York City to counteract the then-current stereotypes of the hoodie. 

The present-day hoodie that you see on the street today was invented back in the 1930s by Knickerbocker Knitting Company, which is now known as the brand Champion. They were created to help warehouse workers stay warm during the cold winters, and it was soon adopted by people everywhere. 

Hoodies really took off in the 1970s when it was introduced with hip-hop. Urban centers were rocking them all across the country, and soon universities and business were slapping their logos and designs on hoodies. In 1976, the film “Rocky” showed the iconic boxer training in hoodies and jogging up the now-famous steps to the Philadelphia Museum of Art. 

The term “hoodie” itself didn’t come into existence until the 1990s. Unfortunately, negative connotations still are sometimes associated with the term along with criminality. The Bluewater Shopping Centre in Kent famously banned shoppers from wearing hoodies in 2005, even though these exact sweatshirts remained to still be sold in these stores. David Cameron, the leader of the Conservative Party in 2006, made a speech stating that the hoodie is more commonly worn for defensive rather than offensive purposes. These are just a few examples of how hooded sweatshirts have come to have such strong social, economic, and political correlations

Many other celebrities have come to connect success and style with hoodies. TI, aka Dr. Hoodies himself, connected the style of hoodies to the street. Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg made a hoodie part of his corporate norms and made sure to tag it as his outfit of the day #OOTD… every day. Female artists like Beyonce and Ariana Grande have been seen with their own custom hoodies as well as supermodels Bella Hadid and Kendall Jenner. Hoodies have become a strong symbol of casual cool.

Today, hoodies connect high fashion with the common wear of the streets, and they have become regular outfits of people everywhere. 

Different Ways to Wear Your Hoodie

There are plenty of different ways that you can wear a hoodie, even a plain white one. The most popular way is most likely just by itself. Some are even gutsy enough to throw it under a suit jacket and wear it to work. I don’t think that I would recommend this if you are required to be in professional attire. Wearing flannels or other button downs over hoodies have become very trendy. Others like to throw a sports jersey over their hoodies as well to show their loyalty to their favorite team. Even sleeveless hoodies have become a thing to show off those big biceps while working out in the gym.

The G185

The G185 is largely considered to be the staple of the hoodie printing industry. You can definitely find these bulk hoodies for sale on AllDayShirts.com, and the price can’t be beaten. Made with 50% cotton, 50% polyester, and pill-resistant fabric, the G185 offers an opportunity for every printing business and clothing line. It comes in a wide variety of colors and with a convenient pouch pocket, matching drawstrings, and extreme durability. These work well with vinyl and screen printing but should be avoided during sublimation and DTG.

The Hanes P170

Also made from 50% cotton and 50% polyester, the Hanes P170 offers another viable option to include in your printing business. This hoodie offers a tag-free neck, a two-ply hood, and a large front pouch pocket for storage. It comes in over 20 colors and sizes all the way up to 4XL. These also are optimally used during vinyl and screen printing and not so much sublimation and DTG.

Soft Fleece Hoodies

Bella + Canvas and Next Level also offer hoodies that provide maximum comfort. Spun with airlume and ring-spun cotton (the two softest versions), the Bella + Canvas 3719 is one of the more premieres on the printing market, just like the Next Level 9303. If you are looking for a hoodie that you want to wear for a pretty long time, these offer insane durability and basically the coziest you can get. When your customer asks for soft hoodies, definitely recommend these to them. Again, these should be only really used with vinyl and screen printing.

Now You’re a Hoodie Historian

Now that you know everything about hoodies and their history, be sure to add these to your printing arsenal. Seeing as they are higher-priced products, you can likely get higher margins from your customers when adding their custom logos and designs. It will also keep your printing business booming during the colder seasons when hoodies are in higher demand.