Hooded sweatshirts are increasingly becoming a household name, not just gotten out of the closet for weather considerations but for fashion trends as well. A hoodie is basically a top garment traditionally used for cold weather, with pockets on the abdominal area's front and a hood that has a drawstring that can be adjusted for the hood's opening at the neck. The pockets are a bonus as they are easily accessible to the wearer and are curved upwards to prevent things from falling out. Sometimes hoodies have zippers instead of drawstrings and are also called zip-ups or zip hoodies.

The hoodie may have come from the form of clothing in the middle Ages, or the Catholic monks' formal wear that included a cowl. The decorative cowl is added to the traditional tunic or robes. In the 1930's, clothing manufacturer Champion started making hooded sweatshirts, mostly for workers in cold storage houses in New York.

Shortly after that, clothing designers picked up on the trend, and hoodies became part of sportswear collections. In the 1970's, hip hop culture emerged and the hoodie trend took off some more. Additionally, the anonymity that hoodies offered also contributed to its notorious side - as a clothing choice for criminals. But the notoriety also propelled the hoodies' fame some more, even being embraced by high fashion.

The popularity of hoodies spread all over, counting in its list of clients' skateboarders and surfers, dancers, and sports aficionados. Moreover, brands such as Tommy Hilfiger, Armani, and Ralph Lauren also jumped in the hoodie bandwagon. Even universities across America started manufacturing hooded sweatshirts with their respective university logos imprinted on the clothing.

Today, the hoodie is part of everyday wear and every culture has developed their own forms and styles. Warmer countries opted for hoodies made of thinner material while countries that enjoyed cold climates stuck with the sweatshirt styles. Hoodies for both men and women also emerged, with hoodies for ladies evolving from sweatshirt styles to sleeveless blouses and tops, hooded sportswear, and even hooded gowns.

One of the recent evolutions of the hoodie are called "goggle jackets." These hoodies hide the whole of the head and face, leaving two eye slots from which the wearer can see thru. Italian counterparts of the goggle jackets are quite expensive averaging at about 600 pounds in stores. However, other brands sell the goggle jacket at about 50 pound a piece and this newest hoodie craze easily became the talk of the town. Some store owners have confessed that due to the rise in demand for these jackets, they have had to order hoodies every two weeks.

With the fame of these anonymity jackets, the hoodies have come under scrutiny for law enforcement agencies all around. This is because so many people are wearing them and the police often have a hard time telling the difference between a fashion forward individual from those who use hoodies to hide their identities. However, nowhere is it said that wearing hoodies are illegal and so the trend continues.