Hoodies: one of the most worn clothing items by people of all ages, genders, social status, etc. Whether you are a student or a parent, you are bound to have several of these comfy tops in your closet. They are perfect for cold weather, long school days, yard work, a trip to the mall, traveling, the gym, or, in this day in age, really any activity you might be doing in your everyday life. So, where are Elkhorn South students buying these beloved comfort items from? 

White Fox: This is one of the newer brands that has become pretty popular. White Fox is an Australian-based clothing brand that is best known for their hoodie selection. They sell anything from dresses to shoes, mainly for women. A typical hoodie costs around $59.99. However, for the thickness, warmth, and quality, this is pretty reasonable. The most popular White Fox hoodies display a puffy font on the upper left front of the sweatshirt and a large display on the back. The font typically is elongated, cursive, or simple bubble letters creating a classy and simple design that makes the sweatshirt look a little less frumpy than some other brands. I would recommend this brand to anyone wanting an especially warm and somewhat stylish hoodie, and although the price is a bit steep for comfort apparel, many students at Elkhorn South, myself included, seem to believe it is very worth it.

Nike: This brand is one of the most well known on this list as it has been around for decades,growing and flowing with the ins and outs of fashion. However, teens have grown very fond of many hoodies they sell. Two of their most popular hoodies that can be seen quite often throughout the halls of Elkhorn South are the Nike Sportswear Club Fleece and the Nike Sportswear Phoenix Fleece. The Club Fleece costs $65.00 and comes in a variety of 18 colors and an astonishing 15 different sizes, which is the largest size range on this list. It has a thick flat drawstring and an embroidered Nike “swoosh” logo under a block letter Nike, in the upper left corner. This hoodie is marketed as unisex as well, making it the perfect casual hoodie. The Phoenix Fleece costs $75.00 and has 12 colors and 7 sizes. This is a much smaller variety compared to the Club Fleece, most likely due to the fact that it is marketed as only a women’s hoodie. The design consists of a small Nike “swoosh” centered in the top of the hoodie which is a very sleek look. It also has a knotted drawstring further separating it in appearance from the Club Fleece. The two hoodies are very similar in terms of thickness and comfort. Both have the pocket, the hood, the drawstring, and the “swoosh” making them all valid candidates for a durable, athletic sweatshirt you can really wear anytime.

Lululemon: Lululemon has continued to diversify their products exponentially throughout the past couple of years. Now their market for men’s apparel has exploded and whether you are a teenager or a working dad, it is likely you own a pair of joggers, a t-shirt, or something else with the Lulu logo. For women, the most popular type of hoodie is the Scuba Zip. I could list all of the modifications to this hoodie, but the list would go on almost endlessly. To name a few different styles of the Scuba, you can do a quarter-zip or full-zip, cropped, long, or regular lengths, and if a hoodie isn’t your thing, feel free to get the funnel-neck style. Colors come and go with the seasons and fashion trends, but currently during the spring, there are about a little more than dozen different colors you may purchase throughout the different styles. Prices vary from around $118-$128 for this hoodie depending on a variety of factors (listed above). This is almost double the price of some of the other hoodies on this list, but that is for a couple reasons. First of all, this hoodie has a zipper, which none of the others have. Also this is more of an athletic and breathable hoodie, meaning that is also more durable and long-lasting. At Elkhorn South, many female students can be seen wearing this brand and style of hoodie, making it very popular. However, for the price, despite the great quality, it is possible to find similar items for a portion of a price at many local boutiques or even on everyone’s favorite online stop: Amazon; so I think that it is safe to say this concept is amazing however it is not a must that you get the on-brand version of this amazing hoodie. Moving on to a very popular men’s hoodie at Lululemon: Textured Double-Knit Cotton Hoodie. This hoodie is the most expensive, costing $148 and it comes in three colors and six sizes. Although I have never worn this myself as it is mostly marketed towards a more masculine audience, many people have reviewed it to be a very comfortable, warm, and athletic hoodie. The price speaks for its quality and modern design making this something that many guys want in their closets.

Apparel from Sports/School Spirit: As students travel to sports tournaments or support their favorite football team and school, they often purchase a logoed sweatshirt as a piece of memorabilia. Whether its a sweatshirt from a state tournament with dozens of teams and lines of athletes’ names labeled on the back with a colorful, yet oftentimes busy and wild logo on the front, or a sweatshirt you buy from the school to support the Storm… chances are high that if you are interested in school spirit or sports in general, you own one of these hoodies. These hoodies typically can cost anywhere from $30-$60 and usually come from the brand Gildan. Although this sweatshirt is seen so commonly throughout the hallways, it is the least stylish and durable out of this list. After a few washes, Gildan sweatshirts tend to pill and the designs sometimes peel or fade. This makes them the ultimate comfort piece as they can be worn really at any time. These typically are some of the more cherished sweatshirts for athletes because it helps them to remember and display their achievements along with showing their pride for their sport. Although these might not be the highest quality sweatshirts on the list, I think that these will be the sweatshirts that people hold onto after highschool and throughout college.

I know I couldn’t get to every popular hoodie on the market because the list would be infinite. It seems that in this day of social media and online shopping, there is constantly a new hoodie trend or a hoodie brand that pops up. Aritzia has set the bar high for quality with their basic hoodies that most definitely “hoodie.” The term “hoodie” has been manipulated into a verb that describes the hoodie’s ability to look a certain way and hold a certain stiffness depending on the thickness. Throughout the summer we will continue to see brands such as Dandy Worldwide and Pink Palm Puff come out with their preppy and beachy hoodies with a very summery vibe. Urban Outfitters and their band sweatshirts have become less popular as the years go by but definitely maintain a large amount of popularity. Aelfric Eden has recently popped up with a more skater aesthetic which can be purchased most commonly on Amazon. Other notable mentions are Fear of God (Essentials), Abercrombie & Fitch, Pacsun, and Hollister. All of these hoodies mentioned above, undoubtedly hoodie. Most are great quality, style and comfort and I am excited to see which new brand explodes over the summer and into the 2024-2025 school year.