February II, 2019 by Devan Shimoyama.
Technically, the only difference between a sweatshirt and a hoodie is a hood, but somehow by adding a little extra fabric that can cover the head if the mood strikes, you enter into debates about what is high fashion, what is acceptable dress in public, and what’s workwear. These are some of the conversations that inspired writer and curator Lou Stoppard to create The Hoodie exhibition at Rotterdam’s Het Nieuwe Instituut. We sat down with Stoppard to find out more about the garment at the centre of so many cultural discussions:
Can you tell us a little bit about how the concept for The Hoodie came to be?
The hoodie has been in and out of the news for a significant proportion of my teenage years and adult life. In the UK, in the mid 2000s, there was a period of moral panic around the hoodie – young men were getting ASBOs (Anti-social behaviour order) stating that they couldn’t wear them during certain hours or in certain places, shopping centres were banning them, and politicians even started a much-mocked ‘Hug a Hoodie’ campaign.
Later, in the US, coverage and agitation around the hoodie continued with horrific events like the murder of Trayvon Martin. At the same time, the hoodie was emerging as a key new part of high fashion – a sign of the influence of streetwear and sportswear on luxury brands. So, while the hoodie was being maligned by some media as an emblem of deviancy or crime or rebellion, it was also being heralded as a trend in some glossy magazines. It felt like there were so many stories being told that, in turn, reflected broader societal issues. I felt that this garment was certainly the one that spoke the most about this generation, in terms of Western fashion. In a way I was surprised that no one had done this exhibition before.
Left: John Edmonds, Hood 13. Right: Vetements, Ready To Wear Fall Winter 2016. Copyright: Gio Staiano.
What was the original role of a hoodie in wardrobes when it was popularised in the ‘30s?
Of course, so much of the history of the hoodie is a story of changing contexts and appropriation. The early hoodie is designed by Champion for sportsmen but is quickly adopted by labourers. It is then adopted by hip-hop musicians as a key part of their style. Then, later, high fashion takes it. I think the popularity of the hoodie today has been fuelled by the significant influence of hip hop on fashion and culture, but also because of the ever increasingly casual, sporty ways people get dressed, which in turn have been shaped by more practical matters, such as the breakdown of workplace dress codes and gendered formalities sand the rise of freelancing and new industries such as tech.
Why do you think it has become a favourite item for luxury designers? Do you believe it has changed the definition of luxury?
I think luxury brands are pragmatic – they follow where the business is. We dress more casually now, and brands are responding to that. Of course, the enthusiasm and innovation they do that with varies – some just apply logos, others toy with surface, silhouette and layers of meaning and wit. The designers we’ve included in the show, from Raf Simons and Helmut Lang through to Rick Owens, Craig Green, Vexed Generation and A Cold Wall are ones who, I felt, treat the hoodie and ‘sportswear’ as a fertile area for design exploration and innovation.
EUnify – Berlin 2019, 2019 by Ari Versluis and Ellie Uyttenbroek, Exactitudes 168.
From the Refuge Wear Intervention, London East End 1988 to the Unify – Berlin 2019 and the Balenciaga photo from i-D, the garment seems to be a good vehicle for political commentary and call to action. Why do you think this is?
The hoodie is, like the record sleeve of the past, a perfect blank canvas. That’s why you see it used as a carrier for slogans and political messages. But the use of the hoodie to communicate allegiance is decades old – look at university hoodies for example, and the history of jock/varsity culture.
Do you have a favourite piece in the exhibition, or one that tells a story that you particularly relate to?
I very much see this exhibition, and the mix of brilliant objects, as a starting point for conversation. There are so many diverse issues and stories sparked by the hoodie – on topics ranging from style and dress habits through to CCTV and surveillance; sustainability of clothing production; subculture and music culture; stereotyping, profiling and racism; and the increasing occurrence of regulations and even laws around clothing and face/head coverings. Hopefully this exhibition encourages debate around these topics, and a questioning of certain norms or habits of thinking.
The Hoodie is on now, through 12 April 2020 at the Het Nieuwe Institute in Rotterdam.
Left: Model Adut Akech wears Balenciaga in i-D's The Earthwise Issue, Fall 2018. Photography by Campbell Addy. Styling by Alastair McKimm. Right: CRefuge Wear Intervention, London East End 1998 by Lucy + Jorge Orta. Photography by John Akehurst.
The Hoodie, curated by Lou Stoppard runs through to 12 April at Het Nieuwe Instituut.
All photographs courtesy of Het Nieuwe Instituut.