When people think of hoodies, they think one of two things:  Either they think of the negative connotation that comes with the word “hoodie,” or they think of being a teen in a cozy sweater that is a staple in the wardrobe.

Originally worn by non-athletes in the 1960s sweatshirts were then adopted by fashion designers in the 1980s according to “Fashion, Costume, and Culture: Clothing, Headwear, Body Decorations, and Footwear through the Ages” found in Encyclopedia.com.

Today hoodies have become a part of teen culture. Looking through the halls of a high school, people will always see multiple people wearing hoodies. Coming in a variety of colors, sizes and styles; hoodies have many variations in quality as well.

A recent article in Rolling Stone  cited Champion was the first brand to create the “sweatshirt.” Other brands have grown in terms of popularity. Putting three brands of similar hoodies together, it was found that Under Armour had the best quality of hoodie for the price.

The first hoodie I inspected was from Badger Sport bought through Eagle Graphics for a sports apparel order form. The second sweatshirt reviewed was an Under Armour Adult Double Fleece Hood from the 2018-’19 swim apparel order form through Eagle Graphics. Finally, the third hoodie was a J. America Vintage Zen Fleece Hooded Pullover Sweatshirt from Bayside printing. All of these hoodies were a Men’s  size Large and ordered through the sports apparel order form for swim team.

The Badger Sport hoodie felt like it was made for a meatball. With sleeves that connected to the body too low, didn’t reach all the way to my wrist, and way to boxy. The fit of this sweatshirt is not for anyone who is tall or skinny. The price of this sweatshirt was cheap, however, the quality reflected it. The material used was an okay sports wicking material, but the hood sat really far back on the head. However, this hoodie iswarm  warm for the parts that it does cover.  Overall, the Badger Sport hoodie was the lowest quality of the three.

The second hoodie from Under Armour was a loose fitting hoodie. This hoodie went all the way down to just below the hips and is great for layering. If in the rain, it does not stay wet for long and in the wind it blows right through the fabric making it not as warm as other sweatshirts. This was the most expensive costing $68.50,

which is $10 more than the other two. Overall, this was the best quality hoodie by a hair because of being great for an active lifestyle and not having any awkward qualities.

Finally, I reviewed a J. America fleece hoodie. This is more of a casual fitting hoodie with a more elastic waist sitting at the waist. This sweatshirt was by far the softest sweatshirt I own and is extremely comfortable. This hoodie also only costs $41 so it is affordable and cheaper than the Under Armour hoodie. The only downside to this sweatshirt is that it does not do well in cold weather or wind. It is lightweight and great in 45 to 60 degree weather. It also while occasionally ride up slightly on the bottom if active, but not enough to notice or cause an issue. Overall, this hoodie is great and came in a close second because of the fact that it does not fair well in colder weather.

If consumers are looking for a hoodie to be active in cold weather, I would definitely spend the extra money to get the Under Armour hoodie. If teens want one that is soft and stylish, I would suggest saving money and getting the J. America hoodie–  it is a high quality hoodie for a low price.

Whatever consumers do, do not buy the Badger Sport hoodie from the sophomore year order form. It was probably the worst hoodie Badger Sport has made as a brand. There is a particular body type that it fits and most people are not that body type.