Article - Branded Hoodies and More

29 Sep 2021

Branding, Hoodies and Novel, Exciting Marketing Opportunities

 

Just about every item one buys today is branded in one way or another. The brand may be hidden from observers’ immediate view, as are the tags that are stitched on the inside of garments such as hoodies, where labels are usually affixed along the inner neckline or one of the side seams.

 

These branded tags are designed and mass produced to indicate the manufacturer’s or retailer’s brand name, the garment’s size and sometimes, washing and care instructions are included on the reverse side of the label.

 

Branding Appears Everywhere

 

Modern humankind is surrounded by many branded items. Some brands are regarded as prestigious and aspirational, while others are recognised for quality, excellent after-sales customer service, fair pricing or the other side of brand association – poor quality and other negative factors.

 

 

 

Even products that are sold in tiny, independent craft stores tend to be wrapped or contained in a box or a packet with some type of description, accompanied by the maker’s name, no matter how limited the market for a particular locally crafted, handmade product may be or the modesty of its insignia.  

 

Hoodies : From Humble Beginnings to Global Acclaim

 

According to one source, the once humble hoodie was invented by American firm, Knickerbocker Knitting Company, a manufacturer that would later be primarily know for this new brand of outerwear that they invented and developed almost a century ago, in the 1930s.

 

Relatively modern designs were developed to serve a humble, but highly practical purpose – the protection of warehouse workers in the northern climes of New York State, where winters are known to be long and icy cold. As time passed, other workmen and athletes took to wearing hoodies that helped them keep warm, since these garments shielded the neck and head too, when in hood-up mode.

 

Variously, one or more centuries ago, other types of hooded garments were commonplace. Hooded cloaks were worn by women and men of all classes. It was easy to don a large, flowing cloak to cover normal, often ornate attire when going outdoors, especially in cold or rainy weather, as well as when travelling, by wagon, coach or on horseback. Priests, monks, and nuns wore hooded outerwear as part of the daily attire.

 

Erstwhile Negative Perceptions

 

At one stage, hoodies had negative connotations. The mythical Grim Reaper, bearing his deadly scythe, comes to mind. Members of the occult and dark arts were also reputed to go about their questionable business, obscuring their identities with a hood.

 

Much later still, modern hoodies were quickly adopted by hip-hop artists and their enthusiastic fans, virtually becoming their uniform. Conservative folks wouldn’t be seen in these garments, unless they were labelled as windbreakers or tracksuit tops.

 

 

 

 

It’s Back

 

Nevertheless, that has all changed, all for the better. The hoodie is back, big time, in its deserved place – now as a must-have, practical, functional fashion accessory, ideal for layering and often worn by any and every one for most occasions, much as denim jackets are nowadays, since they’re no longer regarded as being purely casual pieces.