The Coogi Sweater
By Cameron Truman-Wyss
Photography by Karinne Aguirre
Sweaters are a staple in the attire of countless individuals, myself included. I live and die by a colorfully patterned sweater. There is no better producer of patterned sweaters than the brand Coogi, which can be credited with bringing brightly patterned sweaters into the forefront of fashion over the past few decades. Many people would credit Bill Cosby with such an honor, which is definitely valid, but I choose to overlook his influence in this case because of his history as being an evil person. Although often associated together, Cosby never actually wore Coogi sweaters, which is just another win for Coogi in my book. The brand itself arose from Melbourne, Australia in 1969 under the name “Cuggi.” The name was later changed in 1987 so as to sound more native to Australia. The brand swiftly expanded from making just sweaters to other apparel such as jeans and shirts, but no one cares about those because they are neither cool nor fun when compared to the sweaters.
The brand first entered the mainstream of popular culture when they got a shout out from rapper The Notorious B.I.G. in his song “Big Poppa” in 1994: “However, livin' better now, Coogi sweater now.” The brand maintained its relevance in the Hip-hop community as it would be mentioned in songs by other notable figures such as Kanye West, Rick Ross, and A$AP Ferg. In all of these mentions the Coogi sweater is referenced as a luxury brand, making the sweaters and their subsequent style a symbol of wealth and prominence, which in all honesty, they kinda were. A low end Coogi sweater today goes for upwards of 200 dollars, with high end sweaters reaching into the triple figure range. This far surpasses the price of other sweaters that typically go for anywhere between 30 to 70 dollars.
It was this association with luxury that led to the financial troubles of Coogi in the early 2000’s and the creation of many, more affordable knockoffs. The ownership of the brand was sold to American investors for 25 million dollars in 2001. It was around this time that knockoff brands such as Protegé or Purely Australian came into play. These are brands that made sweaters that were similar in design, but inferior in quality with a significantly cheaper price tag. Personally, I wear the knockoff brands because I simply cannot afford to spend hundreds of dollars on a sweater, although I would certainly like to. I believe that this sentiment is shared by most individuals, hence the continued financial troubles faced by Coogi.
Sweaters are a staple in the attire of countless individuals because they are both practical and, in most cases, affordable. Although Coogi creates beautiful and well made clothing, it is hardly affordable for most of the population. Coogi is a brand that rose to prominence off of its luxury marketing of a not so luxury item of clothing. That’s not to say that Coogi is a completely lost cause. It is still a relevant business, and there are talks of a Coogi comeback in the works. If Coogi learns to adapt to the times of fast fashion, then there is boundless potential. Let’s hope that Coogi decides to make similar, yet more affordable sweaters that we can all wear without feeling the financial burden.