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The History of the Hoodie
Monday, 01 April 2019 - 17:04 | Views - 498

When 17-year-old Trayvon Martin was shot and killed in Sanford, Florida on February 26th – the result of an apparent confrontation with George Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch volunteer – he was wearing a hooded sweatshirt. Zimmerman told police that he shot the teenager in self-defense, evoking Florida’s Stand Your Ground law, and has not been charged or arrested. But in the weeks since Martin’s tragic death, the hoodie has emerged as a symbol of support for those who believe justice has not been served. We’ve seen Million Hoodie Marches in cities nationwide. We’ve seen congressmen and NBA players don the hoodie in solidarity. Musicians are getting involved, too. Wyclef Jean sported a hoodie on BET’s 106th and Park while speaking about Martin. At their March 29th concert in Florida, the Red Hot Chili Peppers wore hoodies with the words “Ode To Trayvon, Stand What Ground” splashed across the back.

Meanwhile, other public figures have voiced concerns about the hoodie’s rebellious connotations. Fox News commentator Geraldo Rivera cautioned young black and Hispanic men not to wear hoodies, for fear that they could become victims of social profiling and violence. While Rivera missed the mark, he did spark a real debate: what if Martin’s hoodie actually fueled George Zimmerman’s suspicions? And if so, how can an article of clothing so ubiquitous cast such a sinister shadow?

From its association with punk and hip-hop to skater culture, the hoodie has a history of being adopted by youth-driven communities once relegated to the fringes, imbuing it with an iconoclastic, sometimes criminal, subtext. Mainstream fashion may embrace it as practical article of clothing, but it’s never lost that edge.

The hoodie was born of modest origins. Champion Products, which began as the Knickerbocker Knitting Company in 1919, claims to have made the first hooded sweatshirt. Originally a sweater mill, Champion began making sweatshirts in the early 1930s once it developed methods to sew thicker underwear material.

According to Harold Lipson, a former president at Champion who started at the company in 1934, the hood was first added to sweatshirts in order to protect athletes and laborers from the elements. Employees at cold-storage warehouses and tree surgeons working through the winter were calling for a garment that would provide more warmth than their long underwear. Meanwhile Champion was working directly with high schools to determine their apparel needs, eventually making big double-thickness hooded sweatshirts that football and track athletes wore on the sidelines in bad weather.

 

 

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