The Six Hoodie Archetypes: Six Classic and Iconic Hoodie Styles

Wearing one of my hoodie jackets for a long walk along the edge of Lake Geneva. Lausanne, Switzerland. November 29, 2020.

Huge hoodie fans, like me, can get the impression that hoodies can come in endless styles and shapes—and not without reasonable justification.

However, while hoodies can indeed take endless shapes and styles, every hoodie fits into one of six core archetypes.

Sure, you can style each of these archetypes in different ways—as do the designers who create and manufacture hoodies in a variety of cuts and fabrics and with myriad printed designs and as do the fashionistas who accessorize them further—but every hoodie you’ll find will fit into one of these six main categories.

Dubious?

For proof, you can cross-reference this list against my post about the symbolism of the hoodie and my hoodie-history infographic: Every hoodie referenced across all the symbols and purposes and all the history comes back to one of these six hoodie archetypes.

The Pullover Hoodie

Seen by many as the iconic, classic hoodie, the pullover hoodie has the form popularized in boxing movies through the eighties into the present day.

As illustrated in my “History of the Hoodie” infographic, the Knickerbocker Knitting Company (now known as Champion) created this version of the hoodie in the 1970s. Laborers and athletes quickly snapped it up; by the 1980s, the pullover hoodie had entered youth street culture.

To wear a pullover hoodie, you need to pull it over your head—pullover hoodies do not have zips or closures on the front, back, or sides. Further, pullover hoodies have large, undivided, muff-style kangaroo pockets on the front through which the hands can touch.

The Zip-up Hoodie

Personally, I consider the zip-up hoodie my personal classic hoodie: The zip-up hoodie is my go-to hoodie archetype, the hoodie I will seek out before any other.

Zip-up hoodies have more versatility when it comes to styling and they have a more form-fitting, flattering shape. (To me, a pullover hoodie wins on coziness, but it feels more like pajamas or house wear.)

A zip-up hoodie is exactly that: An upper-body garment with a hood that you put on like a jacket or vest and zip up the front.

Typically, zip-up hoodies have front pockets placed in the same location as the pocket for the pullover hoodie. However, the zip-up hoodie’s zipper bifurcates the pockets so that the hands cannot touch.

The Hoodie Jacket or Hoodie Coat

A hoodie coat functions as a true outer later. People who say they don’t like hoodies will often still have a hoodie jacket. (Yes, I hear you, it shocks me as well that people who don’t like hoodies exist.)

Hoodie coats use heavier materials, including wool and synthetic puffer-style fabric. As with all coats, wearers only use hoodie jackets to keep warm outdoors during the colder seasons. They can drop to the ankles in length or fit more like a hip-length jacket.

People wear hoodie coats over their regular clothes, putting them on before they leave and taking them off when they arrive at their destinations.

The Sports Hoodie

Sure, most people would categorize all hoodies as athletic wear or sportswear. However, every hoodie aficionado knows that you will only wear certain types of hoodies while actually engaging in some type of sport.

A sports hoodie often comes in different types of newfangled tech fabrics that feel lighter than heavier—in other words, something thinner than the classic sweatshirt-style material—and the designer has cut and shaped the sports hoodie for a given type of activity, rather than for lounging in before, after, or independent of athletics.

The Hidden Hoodie

I had a light shell-style top layer that had a zipper along the collar, within which the designer had stashed a hood. Surprise! Guess what? It’s a hoodie!

However, even as an avid hoodie lover, I never bothered fussing with the hoodie in that collar—it just seemed like too much work. Count me out for the hidden hoodie.

Hikers and other great-outdoors types swear by the hidden hoodie, though. I can see the advantages to having a hood that folds into a pouch or pocket of a jacket for climbing or hiking or the like; this format would keep the hood from snagging on branches or getting in the way of mobility and visibility while providing quick access to protection in inclement weather.

For this reason, most hidden hoodies have truly functional, technical, protect-me-from-weather-chaos purposes. Otherwise, though, I’ll stick to wearing my loud-and-proud, obvious hoodies.

The Hooded Cape

I strongly believe the hooded cape deserves more popularity.

I find hooded capes incredibly elegant and versatile; in different fabric weights, they can take on multiple purposes as an outer layer for everyday wear or even serve as a light coat or jacket for indoor-outdoor purposes.

A hooded cape has the form of a loose-fitting, cloak-style garment, usually without any sort of fastening along the front. Hooded capes can pull over the head as well, rather than coming on like a jacket, yet even if they pull over the head, they do not have any sort of fitting along the torso or waistband, functioning then more like a poncho with a hood than a pullover hoodie. Cape-style hoodies rarely have front pockets, though some may have hidden pockets along the sides of the body.

To envision a hooded cape, think Red Riding Hood. Or a monk or someone from the Middle Ages or Renaissance periods. Or superheroes, of which my research into fictional representations of hoodies found many wearing hooded capes.

A Hoodie Gap Analysis

Truth: Hoodies can bridge more than one of these archetypes. For example, some hooded capes can function as hoodie coats, if they employ thick-enough fabric.

However, I posit that even when a hoodie could arguably fit into more than one of these archetypes, it predominantly fits into one. You can call that heavy-wool hooded cape a coat, because you can wear it in fairly cold weather. Yet most people would call it a cape, not a coat.

Personally, I feel strongly that we need more options in all these hoodie categories, and especially in the zip-up and cape styles. I have indoor-only hoodies and in-public hoodies—but can I get more upscale hoodies that I can wear in, say, a business setting or even to a nice restaurant?

I think many of us would wear fancy hoodies, if only we could find them. (I’m not the only hoodie aficionado, you know.) After all, as I’ve written, hoodies have multifaceted value.

Count yourself in the hoodie fan club? Then you may enjoy my other hoodie posts—a growing collection—which you can find via this link.

P.S.—Love hoodies as much as I do and want to support me in creating more hoodie-related content unbiased by advertising? Hat tip me a coffee!