From athletes to celebrities and CEOs, the hoodie is a staple in just about every wardrobe. But it is an object as politically charged as it is omnipresent. The hoodie is a symbol of youth culture, subculture, social inequality, racism, privacy, fear, and style.
A new exhibition at the Het Nieuwe Instituut, Rotterdam positions the hoodie as western fashion’s last truly political garment. The exhibition traces the garment's origins, its popularization by Champion in the 1930s, through to its cultural entanglement with the rise of surveillance culture, police brutality, shifting attitudes to gender identity and expression and the ascension of streetwear.
Curator Lou Stoppard brings together artists working in photography, film, installation, as well as works by designers including Rick Owens, Off-White, VETEMENTS, and Vexed Generation to explore these themes through the lens of the hoodie.
The Hoodie runs from Sunday 1 December 2019 to Sunday 12 April 2020 at Het Nieuwe Instituut, Rotterdam.
