How Leavers Hoodies Came To Be A Symbol Of Academic Spirit

You are graduating in 2012 and want to remember the last days in college. You and your mates are thinking about taking lots of photos in leavers hoodies for your graduation album. Do you know that this piece of clothing has come a long way to become a symbol of graduation? Here is a short history of hoodies.

Many people believe that hoodies as a piece of clothing were designed in the 1930s. However, their history can be traced back to the Middle Ages. According to historic sources, hoodies were worn by priests as an addition to their baggy tunics. Long hoods which covered the head were a symbol of isolation for them. The design was borrowed by British fishermen hoodies were a great solution to stay warm in uncomfortable weather conditions when fishing on a boat in the open sea. But modern leavers hoodies emerged from sweatshirts which gained popularity in the 19th century and were popularised by wartime figures of those times.

The present-day variation of hoodies appeared in the 1930s. That is when the company called Champion Sportswear started to develop clothes which could protect workers in cold warehouses of New York. The new clothing piece aroused interest of famous fashion designers, such as Claire McCardell, who turned hoodies into a major fashion trend. A whole range of hooded sweatshirts soon appeared and the new trend was embraced by millions of fashionistas.

The next stage of hoodie popularisation was connected to the hip hop culture boom. For hip-hoppers sweatshirts which later turned into leavers hoodies symbolised anonymity and allowed keeping a low profile. Yet, some people viewed sweatshirts with hoods and the feeling of anonymity they evoked in the negative light. Fashion designer Norma Kamali challenged this view and turned hoodies into a glamorous item of clothing.

Modern hoodies also owe their popularity to the films about Rocky Balboa which appeared on the silver screen in the late 1970s. Soon many manufacturers started to produce hoodies for sportsmen. When women started to follow the new trend too hoodies became a unisex item. In the 1990s hooded sweatshirts reached peak popularity. It was the beginning of the skaters era and each dedicated skater had a couple of hoodies in their wardrobe.

Nowadays leavers hoodies are a symbol of academic spirit. Millions of graduates order hoodies personalised with their name and graduation year to keep them as a reminder of their fun school days.