We’ve been asking exceptionally tasteful New Yorkers to tell us about an item they bought forever ago — and still love and use today. Here, Butler bake shop co-founder Hugo Murray on the thick cotton hoodie that’s taken him through ten winters and counting.
I never used to wear hoodies. I tend to gravitate toward a crewneck sweater because it’s a bit more structured; hoodies are thinner and floppier. But in 2013, when I was working in advertising, I went to a workshop in Tokyo. It was organized by our company’s global head of culture — a Frenchman with great taste. He gifted all of the workshop attendees these American Giant hoodies, which are manufactured in South Carolina and North Carolina. I thought, For a Frenchman to gift an American-made brand — this must be a really impressive hoodie.
I generally considered hoodies to be very casual, like for sitting on the couch. But this one is high, high-quality cotton, probably twice the thickness of the average hoodie. The hood itself has a double layer of fabric. There are reinforced patches at the elbows. And the stitching of the rib cuffs extends significantly longer than that of your average hoodie — probably four inches versus two — which creates an overall more tailored look. I wouldn’t wear it out to dinner — but definitely to work.
Very soon after the workshop, I lost it while traveling. The price was about the same back then as it is ten years later, which is roughly two to three times the price of a hoodie you would get at J.Crew. But I didn’t think twice about the splurge. I immediately bought myself a second one. I’ve worn it throughout every winter since, whether I’m doing a build-out on a Butler shop, or going to the gym, or hiking in Wyoming. You can wear it under a shell jacket as an extra layer. It’s come with me to many countries — the U.K., Australia, New Zealand, Argentina.
Most of my clothes that are in high usage wear out quickest at the elbows, but this hasn’t. Beyond warmth, the thickness gives it a structure that makes it look better and feel better than other hoodies, even all these years later. I just throw it in with the normal wash, and, because it’s extra thick, I hang it on a hanger to dry. It’s never let me down.
I’ve also gifted a few of them, including to the guy who fixes the heat for us at the Butler shops — he’s up on a rooftop in Williamsburg in subzero conditions, so I bought him one as a thank you. I’ve seen him wearing it out and about. He’s a man of few words, but I can tell that he loves it.
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