This week in St. Andrew’s fresher fever has taken over, and it will be a similar story nationwide. What was last week a sleepy Scottish town is now full to bursting with new students and returning students, dragging parents around to pay for those last minute essentials (clothes hangers and some comforting milky drink sachets for homesick bed-times). What better way could there be to integrate fully into student culture than to join a society and get a spesh new fluffy hoodie?
The hoodie is useful for the process of becoming a real student as it is a key wardrobe essential that requires minimal washing. It’s snuggley and warm; the hoodie says it loves you even though Mummy is miles away….ahem, but that’s one of it’s secret charms that people don’t really talk about so much. No, the hoodie is the perfect way to affirm your new University identity and is useful for forming first impressions and making new acquaintances. The hoodie could start a conversation, “Why yes, I am a member of the Karl Kennedy appreciation society, do you watch Neighbours too?”, and could even provide a way into potential life-long friendship, “Would you, erm, like to watch it with me sometime?” shifty eyes. Furthermore, the hoodie can let people know your name, or your nickname if you’re willing to share it. In fact, very often a nickname is created solely for the basis of adorning the back of the hoodie. Special meetings may be arranged in order to create ‘hoodie nicknames’ for one another, from a simple shortening of an existing name “Rob” to the more obscure “Laminator” which may be a humorous ‘in joke’ that doesn’t actually refer to the laminating activity.
One of my favourite hoodie brands is Just Hoods by All We Do Is. They have many many wonderful colours to cater for every taste and are the perfect blank canvas to begin printing off nicknames and officially brand yourself as a society member to match your fellow peers. If that’s not enough the colour selection section of their website is so much fun and can provide endless entertainment. Just click on the different colours (from hot pink to hot chocolate to red hot chilli) and see the little jumping man’s hoodie change colour accordingly…it’s like one of those dress up paper doll toys, and he always looks so happy, even if you dress him in ‘lavender’. Though we students love the hoodie, it isn’t an especially niche market. If your student days have been and gone and you are feeling the void in your life every September for a fresh new hood, fear not. Instead, hatch a cunning plan to convince your workmates to get creative. Why not get your favourite item of office stationary printed onto your ‘arctic white’ hood. Mine would be ‘Paperclip’. Sometimes at the office, you just need a hug, especially when then coffee machine’s broken, or it’s 9am on a Monday morning after a rather boisterous weekend. Let the hoodie hug you, it’s what it’s there for.
Hot Chocolate coloured Hoodie by All We Do Is
