Skip to content

Keyword

The Hoodie

Start Date 01 December 2019
End Date 23 August 2020
Venue Het Nieuwe Instituut
Location Rotterdam, Netherlands
Curator Lou Stoppard
Designer Studio L A: Arna Mackic and Lorien Beijaert
Exhibition display of dressed mannequins and imagery
Exhibition display of dressed mannequin

This exhibition explores the role of a fashion garment as a socio-political carrier. The hoodie tells many stories – tales of social inequality, youth culture, subculture, police brutality, racism, privacy, fear and style. It is a garment that sparks a range of emotions, communicating all manner of social and cultural ideas and nuances depending on the gender, geography, age, conduct and ethnicity of the wearer and, in turn, the prejudices and politics of the viewer. Popularised by Champion in the 1930s, the hoodie was a practical solution for workmen; it is now, arguably, Western Fashion’s last truly political garment.

Images © Het Nieuwe Instituut.