Across the Generations Wearing Hoodies

Wednesday 26th of October 2011 08:41:10 PM

Across the Generations Wearing Hoodies

The music industry is well known for making its mark on fashion. Glam rock inspired big shoulder pads and huge hair. Punk rock and grunge allowed a person to express their inner selves, albeit darkly, through fashion choices. And now, hip hop, the music of the decade, has made a lasting impact on fashion with the hooded sweatshirt.

The basic cotton hoodie is an oversized sweatshirt with a massive kangaroo pocket in the front and a drawstring at the neck to adjust the hood. It can be styled as a pull over or a zip up item. This basic hoodie crossed over from the athletic arena to hip hop culture in the early part of 2000. Since then, numerous style variations and embellishments have made the cotton hoodie a must have fashion item that is being seen on runways in Milan and the streets of Oxford.

Customers are careful when purchasing hoodies or sweatshirts. They make their decisions based on several criteria including locale and necessity. Knowing the reasoning behind a customer’s purchases can help retailers’ market hoodies to a wider consumer base.

The first option considered by most buyers is locale. Where will they be wearing the hoodie? In the UK consumers will experience a variety of temperatures and can expect to wear a hoodie from fall into spring. Warmer climates will want to stock lighter weight hoodies for their customers.

Also important is the reason the customer is purchasing the hoodie. If it is being purchased for athletic reasons it must be of high quality cotton in order to wick away dampness from the skin. If the hoodie is a fashion accessory the quality of the cotton must be high so that processes such as silk screening and painting adhere and do not bleed.

The average consumer will look for quality and price point when making their purchase. For this type of fashion item quality will win out over monetary issues because of the numerous times the hoodie can be worn and enjoyed. © Image by (Name Hidden), www.sxc.hu/