You’re wearing one right now. Honestly, there’s a solid 70% chance you are. Whether it’s a high-end designer piece or that crusty, oversized one you’ve had since college, the hoodie is the unofficial uniform of modern life. But who invented the hoodie, and why does it feel like it's been around forever? People usually think it’s some 90s skater thing or a product of hip-hop culture. Those movements definitely made it cool, but the actual origin is way more blue-collar and way older than you’d expect.
It wasn't a fashion designer. It wasn't a celebrity. It was a solution to a very cold, very specific problem in upstate New York.
The cold truth about who invented the hoodie
The year was 1930. The place was Rochester, New York. If you’ve ever been to Rochester in January, you know it’s basically a frozen tundra. Knickerbocker Knitting Company—the brand we now know as Champion—was looking for a way to keep warehouse workers and tree surgeons from freezing their tails off.
Before the hoodie, athletes and workers just wore heavy wool sweaters. Wool is itchy. It’s heavy. When it gets wet from snow or sweat, it smells like a wet dog and weighs ten pounds. Champion had already pioneered the sweatshirt (the crewneck version) in the 1920s by using breathable cotton jersey. But the workers needed more. They needed to keep their heads warm without wearing a separate, bulky hat that could fall off or get lost.
So, they just sewed a hood onto the sweatshirt. That was it. No big runway reveal. No marketing campaign. Just a piece of functional workwear designed for guys moving boxes in unheated buildings.
Why the 1930s changed everything
It’s kinda wild to think about, but for the first decade of its life, the hoodie wasn't "fashion." It was equipment. Champion started selling these hooded sweatshirts to high schools and colleges shortly after. Why? Because athletes on the sidelines needed to stay warm between plays. Specifically, football players and track stars in the Northeast.
Think about the logic. If you’re a high school kid in 1934 standing on a windy sideline in Massachusetts, that hood is a literal lifesaver. It kept the heat in. It was cheap. It was durable. By the time the 1940s rolled around, the "side-line sweatshirt" was a staple of American varsity sports.
From the warehouse to the boxing ring
You can’t talk about who invented the hoodie without mentioning the cultural shift in the 1970s. This is where it stopped being just "workwear" and started becoming a symbol. Enter Sylvester Stallone.
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When Rocky hit theaters in 1976, that gray marl hoodie became an icon of the underdog. It represented grit. It represented the "lonely athlete" grind. Suddenly, everyone wanted to look like they were training for a heavyweight title in a meat locker. But even then, it was still mostly seen as "gym clothes." You wouldn't wear it to a restaurant. You wouldn't wear it to a party unless you were actively trying to get kicked out.
The dark side of the hood
The 1970s also saw the hoodie take on a more "renegade" vibe. Graffiti artists in New York City loved them. Why? Because the hood provided anonymity. When you’re tagging a subway car at 3:00 AM, you don't want the transit cops to see your face. Skateboarders followed suit. For these subcultures, the hoodie was a cloak. It was a way to disappear into the urban landscape.
It’s a weird contradiction. The same garment worn by the wholesome high school quarterback was now the uniform of the "vandal." This duality is exactly why the hoodie became so powerful. It was functional, but it also had an edge.
High fashion finally gives in
For a long time, the "fashion elite" looked down on the hoodie. It was "sloppy." It was "lazy." Then came the 1980s and 90s.
Designers like Vivienne Westwood and Norma Kamali began to see the potential. Kamali’s "Sweatshirt Collection" in 1980 was a massive turning point. She took the fabric Champion had invented and turned it into high-fashion garments. She basically told the world that comfort didn't have to be ugly.
Then hip-hop exploded.
Groups like Wu-Tang Clan and Mobb Deep turned the hoodie into a statement of defiance and style. It wasn't just about staying warm anymore; it was about "The Look." When Wu-Tang wore oversized hoodies, it wasn't just clothing—it was armor.
The Silicon Valley takeover
Then the tech bros arrived. In the early 2000s, Mark Zuckerberg famously wore a hoodie to meet with Wall Street investors. People were pissed. They called it disrespectful. They said he wasn't taking his business seriously.
But Zuckerberg knew exactly what he was doing. He was signaling that the old rules of "suit and tie" power were dead. In the tech world, the person in the hoodie is often the person with the most power in the room. This shifted the hoodie from "rebel gear" to "billionaire uniform."
The engineering you never noticed
When we ask who invented the hoodie, we should also look at the tech behind the fabric. Champion didn't just sew a hood on; they perfected the "Reverse Weave."
Usually, when you wash a sweatshirt, it shrinks vertically. You end up with a shirt that fits your chest but shows your belly button. Champion figured out that if you turn the fabric 90 degrees (weaving it horizontally instead of vertically), the shrinkage happens side-to-side instead of up-and-down. This meant the hoodie kept its shape for years.
That’s why you can still find vintage Champion hoodies from the 70s in thrift stores that look perfectly fine. They were built to be indestructible.
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Misconceptions about the "first" hood
Some people try to claim the ancient Greeks or medieval monks invented the hoodie. Let's be real. Yes, monks wore "cowls"—which are basically hoods attached to robes. But that’s not a hoodie. A hoodie is a specific, heavy-cotton, athletic garment with ribbed cuffs and a waistband.
If we're talking about the modern hooded sweatshirt that you buy at the mall, the credit goes to Knickerbocker Knitting Company in 1930. Period. Anyone saying otherwise is stretching the definition of fashion history.
Why the hoodie is the most controversial garment in history
It’s just a piece of clothing, right? Wrong.
The hoodie carries more social weight than almost any other item in your closet. In the UK, "hoodies" became a derogatory term for unruly youth. In the US, the hoodie became a symbol of racial profiling and social justice after the tragic death of Trayvon Martin in 2012. The "Million Hoodie March" proved that this garment is a powerful tool for political expression.
No other piece of clothing has moved so fluidly between "athlete," "worker," "criminal," "billionaire," and "activist."
A quick timeline of the hoodie's dominance:
- 1930: Champion (Knickerbocker) adds a hood to a sweatshirt for warehouse workers.
- 1934: The first hoodies are sold to school athletes.
- 1976: Rocky makes the gray hoodie a symbol of the working-class hero.
- 1980s: Hip-hop culture adopts the hoodie as a staple of street style.
- 1990s: Designers like Ralph Lauren and Tommy Hilfiger bring it to the runway.
- 2012: The hoodie becomes a permanent symbol of the fight against social injustice.
- Today: It’s a multi-billion dollar industry, from $10 basics to $1,500 luxury versions.
How to choose a hoodie that actually lasts
If you’re going to buy into the legacy of the people who invented the hoodie, don’t buy junk. Most "fast fashion" hoodies are made of thin polyester blends that pill and lose their shape after three washes.
Look for "Heavyweight" options. You want something in the 12oz to 20oz range. Check the tags for "100% Cotton" or "High-Cotton Blend." Polyester is okay for gym wear because it wicks sweat, but for everyday comfort, cotton is king. Also, look at the cuffs. If the ribbing feels flimsy, the whole thing will look like a potato sack within a month.
Check the "Loopback" vs. "Brushed" interior. Loopback (French Terry) is cooler and better for layering. Brushed fleece is that soft, fuzzy stuff that feels amazing but can get too hot if you're indoors.
Actionable ways to upgrade your hoodie game
Stop treating your hoodie like an afterthought. It's a design classic. Treat it like one.
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- Size up for comfort, but watch the shoulders. An oversized hoodie looks cool; a hoodie that's too big in the shoulders just looks like you're wearing your dad's clothes. The seam should still sit relatively close to your shoulder bone.
- Contrast your textures. Wear a heavy cotton hoodie under a leather jacket or a denim jacket. The mix of rugged materials looks intentional and rugged.
- Keep the graphics simple. Unless you're 16, huge logos across the chest can look a bit "dated." Solid colors like navy, charcoal, or forest green are timeless.
- Care for the hood. When you wash it, tie the drawstrings in a loose knot so they don't get sucked into the "tunnel" of the hood. Never, ever dry it on high heat. High heat kills the elasticity in the cuffs and makes the hood go limp.
- Invest in a "Reverse Weave" style. If you want the authentic experience from the company that started it all, get a Champion Reverse Weave. It's the gold standard for a reason.
The hoodie isn't going anywhere. It’s survived 90 years of cultural shifts and managed to become more popular every single decade. Whether you're using it to hide from the world or to make a statement, you're wearing a piece of Rochester history. Respect the hood.