Your Cart is Empty
Free Shipping & Exchanges over $299
SHOP NOW- NEW & FEATURED
- WOMENS
- MENS
- HOME GOODS
- ACCESSORIES
- SALE
- BLOG
- ABOUT
- Rewards
- REFERRALS
- Login
- Wishlist (0)
Jump To: The History of Hoodies | Different Types of Hoodies
This really should be the shortest article you ever read here at SpiritHoods. Why, you ask? Because one of our incredible customers, “Julie P. - Verified Buyer” said it best on the very first day of the month January in the year two-thousand and twenty three when she wrote a review of our hoodies, titled “Pimp suit. For sure the most comfortable thing I own.” And who am I to argue with Julie P.? Nobody. That’s who. So thank you Julie P.
I literally couldn’t have said it better myself.
And for all of you who saw the 2005 film “Hustle and Flow”, you’ll know just how hard it is out here for a pimp. But, the Southern hip hop group, Three 6 Mafia struck gold with their hit song and went on to win an Oscar in 2006 for it, proving to everyone that maybe it wasn’t that hard. Well, at least for them it wasn’t. They had a hit song and they looked DAMN GOOD performing it. Now I’m not gonna claim that wearing our hoodie is gonna make you look as good as Three 6 Mafia did. Because I can’t. Nothing really beats how fierce they were. But a close second ain’t bad.
Since I can’t finish the article in two paragraphs, I’m gonna edumacate you on all things hoodies. Not to be confused with hoodsies, a favorite New England childhood dessert, that has been the saving grace for those of us who have trouble deciding between vanilla or chocolate ice cream since 1947.
Hoodies got their start during Medieval times when monks would wear long garments with hoods as part of their religious attire. Practically speaking, the hood provided protection from harsh elements. But, symbolically speaking, the hood demonstrated the monk’s commitment to a life of piety, humility, and devotion to their religious order. The hood was also used to conceal the face, emphasizing a sense of solitude and focus on prayer and meditation.
Flash forward a thousand years to 1930 when the American sportswear brand, Champion began producing sweatshirts with hoods to help keep athletes warm while training outdoors. It didn’t take long for the laymen to jump on the hoodie bandwagon and soon they became popular among laborers working in cold warehouses.
Laborers. Cold warehouses. Hoodies. All of this reminds me of a fond memory...
To this day I can still picture my crush from high school Tim O’Malley* (name has been changed to protect his anonymity). I was working at my local Super Stop and Shop grocery store. ME, a bagger with big dreams and HIM, a townie with no plans to leave. I remember the first day I laid eyes on him. He had just recently been promoted to manager of the frozen food section and I was sent to the back to put away a box of fish sticks. I was pushing the swinging doors open into the freezing cold grocery warehouse just as he was pushing them from the opposite side. The strength of his push on the doors sent me flying across the linoleum floors. Once I got my bearings, I looked up and saw him. Tim “the hottie” O’Malley. He extended his hand to help me up and his gorgeous green eyes met mine. It was hard to see all his beautiful curly black hair beneath the hoodie he had pulled over his head, but I could get just enough of a glimpse to know that I "a liked what I a saw.” And from that moment on, anytime there was a bag of frozen peas or a gallon of ice cream left behind at the register, I was sure to head to the freezer and deliver them back to their rightful place, hoping to get a glimpse of the Irish Adonis in the frozen food section. He would ignore me, playing hard to get. So I often left him hand written poems in his locker.
To this day, a man in a hoodie still makes me weak in the knees.
Now, my crush was wearing a classic pullover hoodie in a shade of grey, not "50 Shades Of..." Even though that’s where my brain wants to go after writing about him. Just one single basic shade of grey. But there are a variety of hoodies with options for everyone to meet all sorts of needs.
Like I mentioned, Tim was wearing a Pullover Hoodie. There is no front opening or zipper. They are pulled over the head and have a continuous front pouch, or kangaroo pouch, allowing you to keep your hands warm. They usually have ribbed cuffs at the sleeves and a ribbed hem at the bottom and the hood comes with a drawstring, allowing you to pull the hood tightly around your head.
Another variation is the zip up hoodie. This type has a full length zipper down the front, which allows for easy ventilation and for the days when you don’t feel like messing up your hair. They may or may not have a pouch pocket.
On the days when you’re feeling like you want extra comfort and coverage, an Oversized Hoodie is your best friend. The loose relaxed style provides a laid back look that says “hey world, my hoodie may be on a mission to visit my knees, but I make it look damn good while it’s trying.” I fully admit that I just channeled my Great Uncle Jimmy when I wrote that "joke." Womp womp.
And for those of us who want to show off our abs, there are Crop Hoodies. They have a shorter length exposing the midriff and can be obtained by either purchasing one OR by taking a pair of scissors and cropping an old hooded sweatshirt to just the right length. Hey DIY Saturday! I see you in my future.
The comedian P.J. O’Rourke said it best, “Never wear anything that panics the cat.” Which is why 97% of our hoodies come with ears. Feline perturbation is just something we are not into. We like to meet our four legged friends on their level. So go ahead and pull that SpiritHoods hoodie over your head and purrrrrrr with your bestie.
We also believe that the coolest thing that you can do is be yourself. That’s why you’ll never see a plain boring color on our site. We celebrate vibrant shades, hues and patterns. Because fitting in is overrated…it’s the unique individuals who stand out and make an impact. Unique individuals AND Tim “the hottie” O’Malley. He can be as boring as wants until the cows come home. I'll always love him.
But, for the rest of us, our uniqueness makes us alluring.
We have so many different hoodies at SpiritHoods, I couldn’t possibly write about ALL of them, so I had to pick and choose a few. And my most favorite one, the one that makes me feel THE MOST ALLURING is…
Raspberry Tiger Classic Ultra Soft Faux Fur Hoodie - Women's / Men's
And although Prince sang it best, when I’m wearing my raspberry tiger hoodie, I sometimes like to fantasize that Tim “the hottie” O’Malley sang this rendition that fateful day many years ago when he knocked me down with the swinging doors…
“Seems that I was busy doing something close to nothing, but different than the day before. That’s when I saw her (me), oooh, I saw her (me) She walked in through the out door, out door. She wore a raspberry hood-ie. The kind you find on The SpiritHoods site. A raspberry hood-ie. And if it was warm, she (me) wouldn’t wear much more. Raspberry hood-ie. I think I love her (me)” I love you too Tim! I always have! Until we meet again, if ever, I shall wear this soft cozy hoodie and wrap my arms around myself, pretending that I’m in your warm embrace. Leaving me blushing like the gorgeous color of this garment. Is this poetic enough for you TIM?! 
Shark Classic Ultra Soft Faux Fur Hoodie - Men's / Women's
And if raspberry ain’t yo thang, you’ll love how sleek and elegant this hoodie is. The grey and black tones of this piece give it serious attitude, commanding a sense of porpoise (sorry! I couldn’t resist!) and confidence. The ribbed cuff and hem complete the rich elegance of this hoodie and the kangaroo pouch in front and drawstring on the hood provide all the creature comforts that is synonymous with SpiritHoods. And even though a shark's skin feels like sandpaper because it is made up of tiny teeth-like structures called placoid scales, also known as dermal denticles, we made our shark hoodies ULTRA soft. No skin scratching with us!
Strawberry Leopard Classic Ultra Soft Faux Fur Hoodie - Women's / Men's
My mother used to tell me not to eat so many carrots because my hands would turn orange. I thought she was just saying that to keep me from gnawing away like a rabbit, so I tested her. And guess what?! She wasn’t lying! My hands did, in fact, turn a shade of orange, a condition called carotenemia. Which is a discoloration of the palms and soles due to eating too many carrots or other foods high in beta carotene. Which is exactly what happened to the strawberry leopard, only they turned this color by consuming too many berries instead of carrots. And whilst everything else is true in this paragraph, the last sentence is not. A strawberry leopard is a very rare and gorgeous creature, but its coat is a result of erythrism, a genetic mutation that causes an absence of a normal dark pigment or excessive red pigment, and not by eating too strawberries. And just like those lucky few leopards in the wild, you too, can be a rarity in your pack by wearing this stunning hoodie.
FYI it also comes as a puffer jacket if you’re looking for something even warmer!
Ink Spotted Leopard Classic Ultra Soft Faux Fur Crop Hoodie
And for those of you that don’t want to pay for a whole hoodie, we can offer you half of one. I mean, who needs all that material anyway???? And we agree that the better half is the half with the hood and ears. So pull this sexy ink spotted leopard hoodie over your head and let your abs get some vitamin D. 
So thank you Julie P. for your honest review and for the inspiration for me to write this blog. I was stuck on what to say and then I read your words. I hope that eleven months later our hoodie is still “for sure the most comfortable thing you own.”
And as always beautiful people! Send us your pictures & #SpiritHoods , we want to feature you @SpiritHoods
As you can clearly see, we love hearing from all of you and are inspired on the daily by what you have to say and how you wear our clothes.
So, pull up your hoodies and let those ears help you hear the beat of your own drum!
March on my fellow free spirits. March on.
