Every single American today has at least
one sweatshirt in their closet. In
California, everyone probably has more than just a few that they cycle through!
The humble sweatshirt finds users in all seasons. It’s a natural choice for
fall and spring, but you’ll even find Californians rocking their sweatshirts
all through the summer. Of course, they’re also a great choice for layering
during winter as well.
While not exactly a new invention – hooded
clothes have been around for millennia – it’s only in the past few generations
that sweatshirts have earned their place as an apparel standard in our closets.
Sweatshirts, as we know them today, were not a Californian innovation either –
they were practical workwear for meat packers in upstate New York.
However, like with blue jeans, this
practically firmly made it a popular piece of Americana. But not before they
first earned a spot in the hearts of Californians.
Sweatshirts
for the working classes
As we all know, fur coats can be incredibly
expensive and they can be hard to move in. Even real wool coats have the same
issues. They’re also difficult to clean
properly, which can be a problem if you work in messy conditions. This informed
the design of the cotton hooded sweatshirt that we know today as hoodies.
This affordable, easily laundered garment
became standard for meat packers and other people working in messy, cold
conditions in the 1930s and they’re still used for this kind of work to this
day. Variants without the hood later appeared, giving us what most of us today
call sweatshirts. Just like the blue jean, you can still get sweatshirts true
to their working-class roots, though you can definitely find those with a more
trendy upmarket appeal.
A
campus icon
Shortly after the sweat became ubiquitous
for those working in cold, messy conditions, they became part of American
university campus chic. Hoodless sweatshirts with university or Greek society
logos and typography came into their own from the about the 1940s onwards and
they’re still a part of college life today. However, it wouldn’t be until they
became mainstream in California a few decades later that they would become a
must-have for every American.
The
sweatshirt as ‘Pop Californiana’
California’s emerging surf and skate scenes
captured the imaginations of the entire country, as did the numerous films that
were set and produced in California, featuring styles and subcultures that at
the time, were only to be found in the Golden State. From a workwear and intellectual
symbol, the sweatshirt then became a symbol of the youth, and in a way it still
is today.
When the sweatshirt caught on, more people
throughout the world started to realize the comfort and versatility of the
style. In California, the hoodie remains especially popular thanks to the
varied but mild climates in the state. The sweatshirt also became the perfect
complement to the printed t-shirt, which was also experiencing a renaissance of
its own.
Today, California-themed sweatshirts
are a popular option, not just in the state, but all over the world. Whatever
you think about them, they’re honest, individual, and supremely versatile –
qualities that we should probably look for out of more things in life.
Which
type of sweatshirts do you like? Drop us a line. We’d love to know!
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