Did Timothée Chalamet and Gucci make hoodies high fashion? Luxury brands from Louis Vuitton and Loewe to Bottega Veneta and Miu Miu are elevating streetwear with sequins, cashmere and leather

• From Sylvester Stallone’s iconic Rocky look to the rafts of Silicon Valley tech geeks, hoodies have always been a go-to – but now the humble streetwear staple is being pimped as party wear
• Champion launched the hoodie in the 1930s as clothing for athletes and labourers working outdoors – today Heather Gramston at Browns advises the key is to pair it with non-sporty items

It is perhaps comforting in this complex world that there’s one item of clothing – the hoodie, aka the hooded sweatshirt – that straddles so many cultures. It’s been politicised, worn by sports players, and is a staple of streetwear and skate culture. It’s the uniform of big time tech geeks in Silicon Valley, a pop culture mainstay (Rocky Balboa played by Sylvester Stallone in Rocky, for one) and a favourite of high fashion.

Right now, luxury fashion can’t get enough of the hoodie. At Sabato De Sarno’s debut at Gucci in September last year, it was an essential, part of the designer’s modus operandi to rethink wardrobe foundation pieces – what we have already, or that we need.

Gucci spring/summer 2024

“I started from the wardrobe,” he told Vogue ahead of the show, “because I felt the urgency to put together the pieces that I like and that I don’t find.”

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Heather Gramston, senior head of womenswear and menswear buying at Browns Fashion, says De Sarno’s hoodie fits with how the luxury retailer’s customers are thinking about hoodies in their wardrobes.

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“Over the past few seasons the Browns customer has been looking to invest in seasonless pieces that can fit in with the rest of their wardrobe and be styled in many different ways. Sabato De Sarno’s tonal hoodie with debossed Gucci branding is a great example of this,” she says.

Michael Kors autumn/winter 2024

Post pandemic sweatpants, then the full glamour of the so-called “Roaring 20s” as people indulged their desire to dress up as lockdowns lifted, the elevated hoodie might be an ideal middle ground. It can tone down an overtly glamorous outfit, adding a comfortable and versatile vibe. As Miu Miu showed back for autumn/winter 2023, a hoodie looks chic layered under a good coat and knits – with the effect of making busy woman look ready for anything. And as demonstrated by Michael Kors at New York Fashion Week in February, a sequinned hoodie can definitely double as a party dress, as well as something smart and uber luxurious and cashmere-y to wear underneath a sharp skirt suit.

Gramston says the key to wearing a hoodie beyond the weekend coffee run is to rethink it and style it with less sporty pieces. “Pair it with a contrasting print, colour or texture to add an element of interest to the bottom half of the outfit, as De Sarno did by styling the grey Gucci hoodie with burgundy leather trousers,” she says “Alongside De Sarno’s interpretation of the logo hoodie for the current season, we’re seeing other designers elevate the piece by creating it in luxe fabrics, for example cashmere and merino wool.”

Saint Laurent hoodie, available at Browns

As Gramston also points out, the hoodie coming back into luxury fashion is nothing new. The item might have originated in the 1930s with Champion, as an item of clothing for athletes and labourers working outside in harsh conditions, but it’s popped up on plenty of runways since then, and in all manner of cuts, fabrics and aesthetics.

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“The hoodie has had many life cycles, from being an activewear layering piece to a logo streetwear must have and everything in between,” says Gramston. “Over the last few years it seems that every designer from superbrand to contemporary has included a hoodie in their collection – from a simple logo to Bottega Veneta’s leather hoodie and Mugler’s corset hoodie hybrid, there is something for every customer and every occasion. Ultimately the hoodie is a chameleon piece because of its functionality and versatility.”

Moncler Genius x JW Anderson hoodie, available at Browns

This versatility is demonstrated by such things as the street-style set outside the shows at recent fashion weeks wearing hoodies with everything from pencil skirts and trainers to barely there shorts and kitten heels. And not forgetting Timothee Chalamet wearing a sequinned Louis Vuitton hoodie on a red carpet – the premiere of the King in 2019 – a few years ago.

As Gramston notes, this look from Chalamet, “redefined how people think of dressing up and what casualwear really is”.

Pip Edwards, founder of Australian activewear brand P. E Nation, is another big believer in the versatility of the hoodie. For Edwards, when it comes to hoodies, the bigger the better.

Loewe striped wool-blend jacquard hoodie

“I’m such a hoodie girl at heart and you’ll always see me in one worn with a P.E Nation cap – it’s a signature vibe of mine in winter,” she says.

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“I always like to wear them oversized – so big I’m swamped by them! This means I’ll size up or you can catch me checking out the men’s collections, too.”

When it comes to styling them – especially when playing with sizes and aesthetics – Edwards, like the street-style set, always looks for balance in how she wears them.

Pip Edwards, founder of Australian activewear brand P. E Nation, shows how to wear a hoodie

“Because I love to wear them oversized, I usually style them in a way that plays with proportion – so either with tight bike pants or sometimes I’ll lean into a look that’s a little more tomboy and wear them with low slung, extra baggy jeans or cargo pants,” she says.

As for what to look for when investing in a hoodie?

“I look for comfort and quality – I love the feel of the fabric, its weight, and generally like them to be a brushed finish on the inside so it’s nice and soft. Sometimes I’ll opt for an old school 90s style which has a bit more structure and shape and can be quite voluminous – either way, I always, always, always wear them oversized,” says Edwards.

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This article originally appeared on the South China Morning Post (www.scmp.com), the leading news media reporting on China and Asia.

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