Posted by Justin Hopper under General Eccentric, Musings The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette today ran Spiked editor Brendan O’Neill’s essay on the peculiar police state Britain is becoming – in which light, sound, and even the so-called classics of Western culture are all mere tools of the never-ending battle with hoodies, chavs, and ASBO’s. His piece revolves around a growing number of communities in which classical music is being used to either punish or discourage young people – be that exposure to Mozart in after-school detention, or the use of Shostakovich to keep kids from loitering in various public places. It’s revelatory to see the way that Britain – well, let’s face it, England – has become so security-minded as to turn an entire generation of its populace against the very cultural foundations that we in the West allegedly hold so dear. (Of note, however, is the anti-hoodie playlist, which, at least amongst O’Neill’s brief mentions, boasts no Benjamin Britten, no Ralph Vaughan Williams, Ivor Gurney, Frank Bridge or John Ireland.

Even when dispersing hooligans, xenophobia plays its part.) That old British troublemaker, Class, seems to rear its head in the argument, too. Why is it that this generation of hoodies implicitly understands classical music to be punitive? Is there that little exposure – rivaling or event beating-out the lack of arts education in America – that this music is understood from birth to be below even “uncool”? Or is there an understanding that this is music attached, by its very origin and nature, to a Class – that it is understood to be beyond the pale for anyone without an Eton jacket or at least a closet full of Midsomer Murders DVDs? In the 1950s and early-1960s, the ruffians of the English underculture took their implicit cultural non-existence and turned it on its head, as Teddy Boys and Mods re-imagined the Edwardian dandy and the tailored City banker as street-savvy knife merchants, making dangerous fashions out of the very cloth they’d been taught to read as of a superior class.

More recently, before being entirely taken over by the more “casual” side of Casual and the hip-hop elements of funky and grime, the more violent elements of English society turned Burberry, Hackett, and other top-name brands into signifiers of street crime and football extracurricular activities – to the point that as recently as 10 years ago there were pubs with “No Burberry” signs on their doors. (In a rather nasty pub I once met a footie lad of the scariest variety – scar-faced and black-eye’d (glad not to have seen The Other Guy) – and realized that his outfit a) Cost more than my rent and b) would’ve gotten him on the A-list at any ritzy Manhattan gay bar. I did not mention this.) Might it be that in the not-too-distant future, we’ll see the love of Ludwig Van espoused by Anthony Burgess’ thugs come to a true fruition – that Mahler and Mozart will be the watchwords of a new breed of horrific post-ASBO mugs? That the thunderous conclusions of Frank Bridge’s The Sea (Suite) will become, like a Burberry check or an Edwardian pocket-watch, the nationalist’s pastoral – the signifier of a hidden Stanley knife and a nasty disposition?

Maybe my sick admiration for the urban bricoleur is too twisted to be trusted, but somehow it just seems right. And the idea of dodgy Dagenham pub filled with football lads swaying glasses to Ivor Gurney is just sci-fi enough to adore.It’s autumn in Whistler and as the snows of another great ski season slowly creep towards the valley our fashion sense begins to shift: goodbye sandals and cut-offs, hello toques and Gore-Tex. hoodie mfaAll across Whistler this month closets are being shuffled and storage bins unearthed as the locals prepare for another season of battling the autumn storms, then reveling in winter’s perfection. bishop's university hoodiesAnd the number one go-to piece of Whistler clothing this time of year has to be the hooded sweatshirt, aka the “hoodie.”torchwood hoodie

“The hoodie is the unofficial ‘Official Garment of Whistler’,” says Molly Andrew, a lifelong local and floor manager at Whistler’s TNA/Aritzia. “It’s an essential piece of Whistler fashion because the weather changes constantly up here. It can be glorious one minute and raining the next. A hoodie allows you to protect your hair and face and it adds extra warmth. It’s about being prepared.”league of legends diana hoodie Unlike more technical outdoor-oriented gear, the standard-issue Whistler hoodie is made of cotton and most locals prefer the variety with a zipper running up the front. hylian hoodie“Personally I don’t like to pull a sweater over my head so a zipper is more functional,” Molly points out. wholesale sweatshirts tagless

“Plus if the weather warms up you can just unzip and feel less bundled up, you have a lot more versatility.” Of course, while Whistler may represent the pinnacle of hoodie popularity the garment is not as accepted in other parts of the world. Australians will often consider the “kangaroo jumper” a garment more suited for children and in the United Kingdom hoodie-wearers are commonly known as “townies” or “chavs” and often associated with the criminal element. peak performance hoodie svartIronic, since the UK is essentially where the hoodie originated. The style and form of the hoodie can been traced to medieval Europe and the hood, or cowl, commonly attached to monks’ robes or tunics. Many outdoorsy types of the era would also don a chaperon or hooded cape, for a day of fox hunting or a horse-ride through the countryside. Medieval knights of the era would wear hooded chainmail shirts under their armour in order to protect their necks and throats from an opponent’s blade.

It may be a stretch but this means the Knights of the Round Table were essentially the first sponsored pro’s to rock a team hoodie. The cotton sweatshirt-style hoodie of today was first produced in the 1930s as a means to keep labourers warm but the popularity of the garment didn’t escalate until the late 1970s when urban and hip hop culture began to appreciate the anonymity of being able to hide under a hood. Boxing and other sports jumped into the mix and high fashion was not far behind. These days the hoodie is a staple of both counterculture and outdoor lifestyles and, in Canada at least, Whistler is ground zero. The best hoodies in the country even have their roots here. Sitka, Canada’s premier surf and coast lifestyle brand, was co-founded by a born-and-raised Whistler kid and Sitka hoodies are designed with west coast weather in mind. “Our company is based in the Pacific Northwest so we’re designing for the elements we’re accustomed to,” says John Hillifer, senior menswear designer for Sitka.

“We’re also working to move all clothing production back to Canada. Our classic Hoodie styles are already made here (in Vancouver).” And there’s no better time to shop for a new hoodie than right now. Locally made Sitka hoodies can be found in Whistler at Evolution, The Beach and the Sk8 Cave and almost every decent clothing shop in the Village will have numerous options of their own. “For us, burgundy hoodies are really big right now,” Molly says, “and a lot of dark greens and camos. People are arriving for the upcoming ski season and starting to realize the hoodie is very popular here. People want to fit in and stay warm. A hoodie and a toque and you’re Whistler-ready.” There is always a lot of great shopping to be had in Whistler but the biggest sale of the year is the annual Turkey Sale held over the October Thanksgiving long weekend . From snowboards to ski boots to kids gear and even hoodies, the sales are everywhere and the deals are great. Pull up those hoods and get up here.