A varsity jacket from HoodieBuddie.Seeking to expand its concept of combining fashion and technology, the apparel maker HoodieBuddie recently announced its fall 2013 collection.
HoodieBuddie, founded in 2010 and based in Los Angeles, is known for making garments that incorporate in-ear headphones, and its new collection, HBSuper, continues that trend with new lightweight hoodies, varsity jackets, flannels, raincoats and other styles.
Each garment includes a 3.5-millimeter headphone jack hidden inside a zippered pocket. The jack is connected through embedded cables to in-ear headphones built discreetly into the garment’s drawstrings. Just plug in any MP3 player or smartphone, and you’re good to go. It certainly saves time searching for headphones. And unlike earbud cables, the drawstrings are mercifully tangle free.
The HoodieBuddie garments, which are available on the company’s Web site and at stores worldwide, have been updated to include a microphone and remote button in the drawstring with controls for playing music or taking a phone call. And the garments are machine washable; just don’t forget to remove your music player from the pocket first.
I tried a $54 forest-green fleece hoodie, which was cozy and soft. The headphones fit comfortably in my ears, although the sound seemed a little muffled. The remote responded well, but I wish it had volume control.
I got a lot of odd looks wearing the jacket around the office with the ends of the drawstrings nestled in my ears. My co-workers seemed puzzled by the concept. But as soon as I stepped outside, younger people were asking me where they could get a HoodieBuddie.
