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the power of the hoodie

Feared, derided, misunderstood and still resolutely un-hugged, the utilitarian, hugely popular sportswear garment, the hoodie, has staged a comeback against a backdrop of pyromania and rioting. Worn by millions every day, a generation's default wardrobe choice was transformed into an instant criminal cloak for London's looting youth. It may be more newsworthy now, but the hoodie and the folk devil it represents have been with us for a long time.

As for the hoodie, its mass adoption as an everyday item began with the parallel popularity of hip-hop imported from the US in the 1980s, where rappers modelled themselves as athletes in a bid to emulate the power and success of world-beating sports stars. The corporate balance sheet of Adidas would doubtless be a lot poorer without the patronage of rappers Run-DMC, or reggae star Bob Marley.

Hip-hop later turned to gang culture for its stylistic cues, and it is probably impossible to say whether gangsters modelled themselves on hip-hop stars or vice versa. Either way, hip-hop's emphasis on strength, status and prowess ensured that Rocky Balboa's grey marl hoodie would become the iconic, indispensable wardrobe staple for a generation weaned on rhymes and beats.

In London a few years ago, there was even a vogue for teenagers to wear hoodies with horizontal black and white stripes, as if in parodist homage to cartoon robbers carrying bags marked "swag". Once, the hoodie was worn to convey an images of power and success; later on, it became a symbol of menace and lawlessness, and that is undoubtedly central to its identification with Britain's asbo generation.

By the early noughties in the UK, the hoodie had become directly politicised, symbolising the furtive menace of Britain's inner-city teenage population. In May 2005, it was banned by the Bluewater shopping centre in Kent and later by several schools in England and Wales. One teenager was even served with an asbo banning him from wearing one for five years.

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