The history of sweatshirts - From the 1930's to today.
Sweatshirts have come a long way from their humble beginnings in the 1930s. Originally worn as comfortable and practical workout clothes by American college athletes, sweatshirts have become a wardrobe staple for people of all ages and backgrounds. In this article, we'll explore the rich history of the sweatshirt, from its beginnings as a sports item to its current status as a fashion icon. We'll look at how the sweatshirt has been adopted by different cultures and how it has adapted to new trends over the years.
The first appearance and success of the sweatshirt in the 1930's was through its use by American college athletes in their sporting events as training gear. It is a comfortable and practical garment that was quickly adopted by the vast majority of sports organisations and, especially in the USA, has become a staple of the sporting world.
Today, the sweatshirt is still an integral part of the sporting world. It can still be found on the playing fields in all sports, but also in the stands, where fans of all ages wear the same sweatshirt as their idols to represent their team.
Not only is its use based on sports, sweatshirts are a very important part of the marketing and merchandising of sports teams around the world. Sweatshirts are highly customisable and easy to recognise when you put on the colours and logos of your favourite teams.
The versatility and comfort of the sweatshirt has given it the crown of cult clothing in the world of sports... but it doesn't stop there.
There is no doubt that the sweatshirt became popular with the general public in the 1950s. While the sweatshirt was a garment dedicated primarily to sports and athletic activities, American college athletes were the first to wear it as a comfortable workout outfit.
The general public adopted this fashion a few years later, as a leisure garment for everyday wear. The characteristics that make the public appreciate this garment are mainly related to comfort and practicality. Naturally, young people in the 1950s adopted it as part of their casual look in everyday life.
Later, as the general public decided to make this item of clothing an essential in their wardrobe, film and television stars began to wear it in their films and TV shows. This contributed to the popularity of the sweatshirt being so great that the novelty element within fashion disappeared and it became a staple for everyone.
After sweatshirts were embraced by the general public and became a staple of global fashion, we began to see variations of the garment, including its application in streetwear culture.
In the 1950s the sweatshirt was a garment used by young people of the time in hip-hop culture as a comfortable, casual garment for going out dancing. Since the 1950s, throughout the decades, the sweatshirt has been revisited and offered especially to the younger public by all the more important brands in the sector and in urban culture.
This adoption of the sweatshirt, its versatility and its ease of wearing the colours of many institutions, countries, cultures... makes this garment a very important means of expression for people who seek to identify themselves in their everyday lives. The slogans, logos and colours that the sweatshirt wears are always a constant statement of the culture to which one seeks to belong.
Over the course of time, from the 1930's through the 1950's and then over the last few decades, sweatshirts have undergone a real transformation that has led them to be a timeless basic. Nowadays, with its entry into high fashion collections and major brands, the sweatshirt has become a "must have" for everyone. It's hard not to see at least one every day, often all different, often customised but always very comfortable and casual.
This fashion item can really give a person and their taste a very strong identity, it's a garment that has taken on a unisex feel to it all as the same one can be worn by anyone in various situations. The sweatshirt is a timeless basic garment and nowadays it is also a perfect basis for building a sustainable and ethical product for brands like ours.
At Pamuuc we didn't invent anything but we are convinced that the sweatshirt is the more than perfect basis for using organic cotton and recycled polyester for a sustainable future in fashion and one of its most important pillars.