Questlove, Drummer For The Roots, Opens 'The Hoodie Shop' In New York

New quest: Questlove is co-founder of the new Hoodie Shop on New York's Lower East Side

Between 12 albums keeping the beat for The Roots and leading the house band for "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon," you’d think Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson would have enough on his plate. But the drummer extraordinaire is now entering the clothing business, as co-founder of The Hoodie Shop on New York's Lower East Side.

Located at 181 Orchard Street, the store's opening comes at a cultural zeitgeist moment for the hoodie, following the shooting of teenager Trayvon Martin, who was wearing a hoodie at the time. The shop opened on Tuesday, March 20, only a day before the “Million Hoodie March” to show support for Martin and only a few days before Geraldo Rivera’s controversial comments about Martin’s hoodie sparked outrage across the Internet. "What, I gotta stroll around rocking a tux 24/7 so I can put others who are ignorant at ease?” Questlove tweeted at Rivera.

But Questlove, who is partnering on the fashion venture with Brooklyn Bowl owner Peter Shapiro, insists the timing is merely an unfortunate coincidence, as the shop has been in the works for a year. “I texted Pete and said how ironic is it that we’re going into this Hoodie Shop venture now, with what’s happened,” Questlove told New York. “How we gonna handle this, because I don't want people to think we're jumping on the hoodie bandwagon.'"

For Questlove, a self-proclaimed hoodie aficionado, the venture represents more of a fashion and cultural evolution, despite all the recent buzz about the hoodie. "Fashion-wise, for the skinny-jean generation, we’re undergoing the first significant comeback of the hoodie since those Gap hoodies back in the early nineties,” he said. “I never even thought about it as something a scary dude wears.” For Questlove, memories of the hoodie are rooted in a romantic tryst with the hip-hop genre. He cites seeing the video for “Can I Kick It?” by genre pioneers A Tribe Called Quest for leading him to purchase his very first hoodie.

If there’s any place where a specialized or niche clothing store can thrive, it’s the Big Apple. From The Little Lebowski and its strictly “The Big Lebowski” related clothing to Tender Buttons where it’s all buttons all the time, there’s a store for seemingly every clothing item imaginable. But The Hoodie Shop also carries vintage and contemporary casual-wear like leather jackets, blazers, soft cashmere loungers, vintage concert gems, backless cardigans, scarves. The store’s interior is a colorful dose of psychedelia inspired by the final tour of LCD Soundsystem last year.

Comments

[dressesstop]

10:38 PM on 04/01/2012

You can wear all the hoodie's you want, just not in my Citizen's Bank branch in Philadelphia. They have a sign up to that effect, ". . .weddingbridal.us .for the safety of our customers and employees."

[Lkdub7]

02:34 PM on 04/02/2012

I'll put a sign on my hoodie, F your sign

[kingjohn1956]

09:16 AM on 04/01/2012

It's the timing . An ''unfotunate coincidence''' with the Martin case. LOL LOL Who you kidding an unfortunate coincidence that will help you make loads of MONEY an PR.

[RichardWad]

08:55 AM on 04/01/2012

I predicted the hoodie-boom back in the Unabomber days.... Guess I was a day late and a dollar short... Ok, jokes aside, not sure I'm buying the whole "the fact that we opened a hoodie shop right before the million-hoodie march was strictly a coincidence" claim. They may have been planning a store for a year but I'll bet the theme and inventory was an "in the moment" decision.

[whtiscookingnow]

11:41 AM on 03/31/2012

If you don't want to be associated with the recent events, close your shop. Don't profit from recent tragic events. www.helpmeplease.ws has been a huge factor in my recent income.

[PlutocratsSuck]

06:23 AM on 03/31/2012

There is no need to describe yourself.

[anothervoice]

09:13 AM on 03/31/2012

You didn't read the article.

[jumpinjohn011]

11:44 PM on 03/30/2012

Idiot!

[PlutocratsSuck]

06:26 AM on 03/31/2012

That would be you.

[jumpinjohn011]

03:29 PM on 03/31/2012

And you can't spell you without putting "U" in it!

[anothervoice]

09:13 AM on 03/31/2012

Knee-jerk!

[Sam Ruttenberg]

10:54 PM on 03/30/2012

So many young drummers today start out with an improper grip, which leads to bad technique, and the inability to play with ease. When you hold the drumstick, you should hold it loosely between your thumb and index finger at the stick’s center of gravity, or fulcrum. This creates a hinge effect, and will ensure optimal bounce from the stick.

[Falconer6439]

12:03 AM on 03/31/2012

Cool, maybe that comment would be better suited for a drumming forum?

[RichardWad]

08:49 AM on 04/01/2012

That cracked me up

[niecybear]

06:39 PM on 03/30/2012

why is this news? sorry I took the time to read it

[anothervoice]

09:14 AM on 03/31/2012

...yet found the time to comment.

[reader1]

06:17 PM on 03/30/2012

Well if it's good enough for a congressman, it's good enough for me!

[jumpinjohn011]

11:45 PM on 03/30/2012

And he was removed by security! ha ha

[anothervoice]

09:15 AM on 03/31/2012

America was founded in a revolution. Tyrants have problems with revolutionaries.

[gino618]

05:03 PM on 03/30/2012

This has nothing to do with the Martin case. Nothing. Why is this news? Because the opening of his shop happens to coincide with this ridiculous 'hoodie-mania' being drummed up by the left? Martin was wearing a hoodie. So what? In Chicago, two shooters were wearing hoodies. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/chi-far-south-side-man-shot-killed-near-home-20120329,0,667576.story Will the left STOP these hoodie rallies now because of that? If not, then why did they start over Trayvon Martin?

[Felps]

04:39 PM on 03/30/2012

Hoodie flash mob, anyone?

[BraineyRubble]

04:38 PM on 03/30/2012

George Zimmerman would find Questlove particularly suspicious.

[anothervoice]

09:15 AM on 03/31/2012

...wouldn't know where to shoot.

[GatorAtLarge]

04:34 PM on 03/30/2012

Horrible Title
Horrible article

[Dane1911]

04:30 PM on 03/30/2012

The same imagery we tried too hard to escape is now being embraced.....all for what......smh

[PoppaG]

07:20 PM on 03/30/2012

Money Money Money

[Falconer6439]

12:05 AM on 03/31/2012

What exactly is wrong with a hoodie? Ive never seen the "hoodie" as being worn by anyone more than another.

[jmbsjy]

04:29 PM on 03/30/2012

I think we all should wear hoodies and name our kids Hussein.

[anothervoice]

09:18 AM on 03/31/2012

And let our pants hang below our butts.