The hoodie has been a mainstay of fashion and utility for more than 80 years. From its humble beginnings in workwear and high school athletic programs to its emergence in haute and street fashion alike, the hoodie enjoys status as both staple and trend, making it a closet necessity no matter where you fall on the fashion spectrum. One look at our line and it’s clear that Alternative holds the hoodie in highest regard, updating the classic silhouette with his and her tailored fits in the softest, sustainable fabrics. “Take a look around and you’ll see artists, athletes, innovators and entrepreneurs all wearing our hoodies,” says Design and Creative Director Orondava Mumford. “The hoodie and basics like tees and sweats have achieved uniform-status for the modern creative. Hoodies even carry a revolutionary spirit and sigma that’s constantly under discussion in politics and culture. It’s a mainstay we’re honored to keep evolving into the future.” As tribute to this universal wardrobe warrior, here’s our look at key moments in hoodie history.

In the first decade of the 20th century, American clothing manufactures began experimenting with fabrics traditionally used for undergarments to create what we now know as the hoodie. Russell Athletics lays claim to the first sweatshirt, created from cotton jersey in 1920 to alleviate football players’ discomfort from sweating in wool jerseys. Champion Products, known then as the Knickerbocker Knitting Company, is widely credited as the creator of the first hooded sweatshirt, which was made to provide athletes and laborers, like cold-storage workers, added protection and warmth. 1970s: Hip hop and hard work The ‘70s saw the hoodie’s transformation from innocuous piece of clothing to complicated cultural symbol. At the time, New York City was a hotbed of emerging street cultures, including hip hop. Graffiti artists, a foundational element of hip hop culture, found the hoodie useful for concealing their identities while they “bombed” walls and buildings, linking the garment to illicit activity and what was then perceived as a defiant subculture.

In 1976, the release of the now classic film “Rocky” added another layer of symbolism to the hoodie. the fault in our stars merchandise amazon ukThe title character’s iconic, non-descript hoodie became emblematic of his hard knocks, hard work ethic, reestablishing its connection to its working class roots and cementing its prominence in mainstream culture. desmond miles hoodie and bag(Our own namesake hoodie pays homage to this moment in hoodie history.)koenigsegg hoodie 1980: High fashion takes noticecarhartt fr clothing wholesale In 1980, fashion designer Norma Kamali created her celebrated Sweatshirt Collection, revolutionizing ready-to-wear trends and the fashion industry’s perception and use of everyday materials in high-end design.elfen lied hoodies

By the ‘90s, the hoodie’s duality as both trend and staple was well established. It’s during this era when the term hoodie becomes part of American vernacular, spurred in large part by hip hop’s rise into the mainstream and the popularity of urban fashion trends.detroit lions salute hoodie 2012: Tech triumph and teen tragedyunearth hoodie 2012 was a reminder that, as widespread and accepted as it’s become, the hoodie still carries a lot of baggage. Mark Zuckerberg caused a stir when he chose to meet Wall Street investors wearing a hoodie in the months leading up to Facebook’s initial public offering. Whether seen as a statement or ploy, scrutiny about the hoodie and what it symbolizes were the subject of debate, with most concluding it had more to do with establishing an identity as a non-conformist than making a casual fashion statement.

The same year, a teenager named Trayvon Martin was wearing a hoodie the night he was killed in Florida after being deemed “suspicious.” The tragic incident sparked a national dialogue surrounding perceptions about race, image, identity and class. The hoodie became a banner for supporters of Trayvon Martin, uniting those looking for justice for the life lost. To date, the hoodie’s enduring legacy and cultural significance is a story without an end. Whether looked at as utility garment, fashion trend or cultural symbol, one thing is clear: the hoodie, with all its virtues (and perceived vices), is here to stay. CATCH OF THE DAY Classic Shark Bite Hoodie Classic Ladies Sweater Dress Classic Gold Stitch Tall Hoodie Featured: Billboard Music & Ed SheeranJust yesterday, January 25th a photograph of singer song-writer, Ed Sheeran was featured on Billboard Music's official website. The most exciting part? He was wearing our dual wave East Coast Lifestyle tee that has been a top seller..

BEHIND THE BRAND VIDEO Want to hear the story of how East Coast Lifestyle started? Want to see inside footage of our office & warehouse operations? Check out our brand new Behind The Brand video produced by Austin Ermes. PARTNERSHIP WITH WILSONS HOME HEATING In recent news we are proud to announce our newest collaboration with Wilsons Home Heating, Security and Gas Stops . As another local, Nova Scotian born...In the early 2000’s the United Autoworkers (UAW) unions began trying to organize the Nissan plant in Canton, Mississippi. Nearly 15 years later, it’s still trying. According to the UAW, “many” Nissan employees recently began wearing pro-union t-shirts and hats to work. In response the company changed its almost anything goes dress code to one that required employees wear a red polo shirt and grey pants; and if they needed a jacket, it too must be grey. According to Nissan, this new policy “helps achieve the highest standards of safety and quality in all manufacturing facilities.”

Employees have been able, and will continue to be able, to wear the clothing of their choice so long as it complies with the dress code. The UAW filed an unfair labor practice charge over this modified uniform policy alleging that the change was done as a direct result of employees wearing pro-union t-shirts and hats. The Board bought the argument and issued a complaint against Nissan. While most uniform / dress code cases deal with a company allowing employees to wear buttons, t-shirts, and hats with logos, just not union logos, this one is different. Here, the company has denied all logos, even all colors outside of red for shirts and grey for pants. Nissan’s new dress code appears to be content neutral, but according to the Board, that isn’t enough to escape an allegation that it was implemented with an unlawful, anti-union motive. Matt Austin is a lawyer based in the Columbus, Ohio office of Roetzel & Andress, LPA who limits his practice to representing employers dealing with labor, employment, and OSHA matters.

Posted by Management Labor Lawyer on January 22, 2016 In 2009, AT&T and the Communication Workers of America union were involved in contentious contract negotiations. In an effort to make the public aware of the dispute, AT&T employees began wearing a controversial T-shirt when visiting customer homes. The shirt said “Inmate” on the front, and the back of the shirt said “Prisoner of AT$T” with several vertical stripes and bars above and below the letters. The shirt did not say anything about the union or the ongoing labor dispute. AT&T responded by suspending 183 employees who wore the shirt in public interactions, prompting the Union to file an unfair labor practice charge. The administrative law judge and National Labor Relations Board found that the suspensions violated the employees’ rights. The D.C. Court of Appeals vacated the Board’s ruling. According to the court, the Board did not take into account the practical consideration that the shirts contained an offensive message that was bound to undermine AT&T’s relationship with its customers.

As the court succinctly stated, “common sense sometimes matters in resolving legal disputes.” The court based its ruling on the “special circumstances” exception to the general rule that protects employees’ rights to wear union apparel. This exception provides that a company can lawfully prohibit its employees from displaying messages on the job that the company reasonably believes may harm its relationships with its customers or its public image. Although it took several years, this is certainly a win for employers. Posted by Management Labor Lawyer on September 20, 2015 World of Color Corp. prohibits employees from wearing any baseball caps except for caps bearing the company logo, and those caps must be worn with the bill facing forward. The Teamsters took issue with the policy and filed an unfair labor practice charge against the company saying that the policy interfered with workers’ rights under Section 7 of the National Labor Relations Act, which allows them to wear union insignia.

An NLRB Administrative Law Judge agreed, and the Board ultimately confirmed the ALJ’s decision. On appeal, the D.C. Circuit Court ruled that the NLRB erred by not following the 2-step Guardsmark test. First, the Board must examine whether the rule explicitly restricts Section 7 activity; if it does, the rule violates the Act. If not, the Board must then consider whether (1) an employee would reasonably construe the language to prohibit Section 7 activity; (2) the rule was promulgated in response to union activity; or (3) the rule has been applied to restrict the exercise of Section 7. Although the World of Color hat policy required employees to wear a company hat rather than any other hat – including a union hat – the company argued that it allowed employees to wear union insignia by accessorizing the hats in an appropriate manner. Thus, the Board was wrong when it held that the policy facially prohibited employees from wearing union insignia on their company caps. Thank you D.C. Circuit for another pro-management ruling.

Posted by Management Labor Lawyer on March 9, 2015 Wanting to improve the professional image of its employees, a hospital decided to revamp its dress code policy. Included in the revisions was a color-coded uniform system designed to help staff, patients, and visitors more easily identify and distinguish employees. The hospital did not inform the union about these changes. An unlawful change, the NLRB explained, is one that is “material, substantial, and significant” to employees’ terms and conditions of employment. The new color-coded uniform requirements “rendered useless most, if not all, of their personal scrub inventories containing other colors and styles.” The Board found the hospital must have recognized this adverse financial impact because it provided three free sets of scrubs to reduce the initial monetary cost to employees of complying with the new policy. The dress code also banned outerwear such as hoodies, sweatshirts, and fleece jackets if they did not match the new color-coded uniforms, further increasing the financial burden on employees.

Posted by Management Labor Lawyer on July 20, 2014 Put this one in the “Duh” category. The National Labor Relations Board found that the Memorial Hospital of Salem County in Salem, New Jersey violated the National Labor Relations Act when it refused to bargain with the Health Professionals and Allied Employees union over changes in the dress code and did not give the union relevant information the union requested. The hospital changed dress codes to exclude hooded sweatshirts and fleece jackets, which were previously allowed to be worn during working times. According to the NLRB, this “resulted in discomfort from the cold to at least one employee due to her inability to wear sweatshirts or hoodies over her scrubs. A change in the dress code is a change to the terms and conditions of employment and must be negotiated with the union. In other words, changes to a dress code is a mandatory subject of bargaining. Because the company changed the dress code without negotiating with the union, the company violated labor laws.