Getting The Greatest Hoodie Ever Made has not been easy

[radhak]

So, after reading about the Greatest Hoodie Ever Made, I wanted to own what I never knew I needed but realized I could not live without : a hoodie ! (Yeah, I'm stealing those words from Calvin and Hobbes).

But they were never in stock. That article had made it impossible for anybody to order stuff! I kept trying for months, and then read that this was beyond a small supply-demand-issue. This was the brick-and-mortar version of 'going viral'.

So I kept waiting. I put my email down for them to 'inform me when they had inventory', but never got a notification. Last week, out of the blue, I saw my size/color choices were not showing the dreaded 'out of stock' message, so I quickly hit the order button.

Then I had to wait for more than a week before receiving a 'shipped' notification email. (Nothing in the order confirmation told me when they'd ship). Of course, I still did not know when it would be delivered. Their 'track shipment' link did not work. Today I had the brainwave to copy-paste the tracking # to Fedex, and found I'll get the hoodie next Tuesday. Yay!

Dunno how well their manufacturing is, but their order-fulfillment/customer notification engine needs oiling.

So this will perhaps be the most 'delayed gratification' purchase I've ever made : and finally when I get it, summer has at long last arrived, and I'd look really silly wearing that hoodie. Ah well!

[LinuxRandal]

Why is it so great?

The only hoodie I own is from Harry Epstein's and made in the USA (80/20).

[BigguyZ]

Sounds interesting, from the article.

Sadly, I could use a hoodie right now, as it's STILL SNOWING in the Twin Cities...

[chopnhack]

LOL, a hoodie in florida ;-) Seriously, that is "seasonal" attire that may come out for a month or two. At that rate, you really will pass that jacket down! So long as the dreaded moths don't get it first. Congrats, the article makes it out to be one heck of a hoodie. Let us know if its hype or not when you get it.

[radhak]

Yeah, I'm the butt of all jokes here, my daughters leading the way (...you only want the hoodie to hide your hair loss...) .

If I had got it in December, I'd have had some excuse during our 'winter', but now it'll have to wait a while to be inaugurated.

The article describes why it's so great - close attention to design and manufacture. I'll report back if it lives up to the claim...

[tommyt654]

I see nothing spectacular about the article of clothing,its merely a hooded sweatshirt easily available in the same materials at more than a dozen retailers at 1/4 the cost. Personally I only wear mine in the cooler months and after being accused of looking like the Unabomber while walking my dogs in the mornings really started not wearing it with the hood up

[trungdok]

I'm with the others, the article did nothing for me. I remember reading about this a while back and thinking that it's nothing more than a marketing gimmick touching at people's nostalgia and train of thought that everything made in the USA in the past is superior than what we have today. I would classify this item as a luxury item rather than a practical, long lasting heirloom item.

But then, please let us know how it looks and feels once you got it.

[pelligrini]

I heard a good story about the company on NPR not too long ago. I believe it was on This American Life and the theme of the show was unintended concequences. Once it got tagged as 'the Greatest Hoodie ever made' their sales went through the roof and on to the moon. They didn't have the capacity to do that many sales, sounds like they are still having growing problems.

[radhak]

Actually, the reviewer on Slate has been very consistent on tech items - his reasoning made sense, even if they are not always mainstream. He never shills for any manufacturer. The review might be hyperbolic, but I'm sure it's not dishonest.

And that he - a tech reviewer - reviewed this apparel was interesting enough; in a true techie fashion he has listed why the hoodie is so good - the lay on the shoulder, type of the stitching, the material used, etc. He mentions that an ex-Apple ipod-designer had designed the hoodie. All in all, the review persuaded me (and obviously many others) because it came from an authentic if unexpected place. (Also that I never come across reviews of clothes because I don't read or visit any of those magazines or websites)

Yes, NPR had profiled this, here.

I wanted to put this out here before I received the hoodie, just so I can compare my expectation with the actual experience.