Since 2011, National Ugly Christmas Sweater Day has grown to be an international event. Now occurring on the third Friday of December, the celebration gives holiday lovers worldwide a chance to wear their ugly Christmas sweaters.
- 1950s – Christmas Sweaters were first manufactured on a grand scale during the 1950s. Back then, they were produced under the name “Jingle Bell Sweaters.”
- 1980s – Popular character Bill Huxtable on The Cosby Show constantly made fashionistas gasp when he’d come into a scene in a gaudy, ugly, yet slightly endearing sweater that he knew was completely outrageous
- 1989 – Chevy Chase added his own twist to the theme as Clark Griswold in National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation movie.
- 2001 – it wasn’t until 2001 when Bridget Jones’ Diary was released that things got even more interesting for ugly sweaters, Mark Darcy, the character played by Colin Firth in the film, sported a ridiculous reindeer ugly sweater.
- 2002 – The First Ugly Christmas Sweater Party Was Held in Vancouver, Canada.
- 2011 – San Diego-based duo Evan Mendelsohn and Nick Morton started the business Tipsy Elves in 2011. Their silly depictions of Christmas characters including Santa and the Bumble won over the heart and wallet of Shark Tank’s investor, Robert Herjavec
- 2012 – From 2012 to 2015, the Ugly Sweater industry grew by 200%.
- 2013 – UglyChristmasSweater.Com is founded adding momentum to the steady rise toward mainstream popularity.
- 2013 – On Nordstrom.com, one ugly Christmas sweater goes for $600 (in 2013).
- 2014 – they partnered with Save the Children in their “Make the World Better with a Sweater” campaign.
- 2015 – Canberra, Australia, set a Guinness World Record for the largest gathering of people wearing Christmas sweaters, with 3,473 participants. This event highlighted the global appeal of the tradition.
- It started as a joke. A resale retail store noticed an unruly amount of unfortunate sweaters knitted by relatives or ridiculously decorated with festive accouterments coming in their doors. So, as a joke, they put them up for sale.
- 23% of people will buy an ugly sweater. They don’t doubt that they’ll be joining the ugly sweater brigade.
- 9% of people have celebrated.
- Since the boom, retailers are making their own version of the ugly sweater and resale stores are cashing in on the trend by promoting their finds throughout the holiday season.
- High-end designers have embraced the trend, with brands like Burberry and Jil Sander releasing their versions of Christmas sweaters, blending luxury with festivity.
- Uglychristmassweaters.com made $5 million. This company knows its ugly sweaters. In only three years, their profit has skyrocketed into being a multimillion-dollar company.
- Tips:
- Animal or cartoon characters with a holiday theme give sweaters a kitsch feel. Think reindeer, snowmen, mice, kittens or elves.
- Electrify it! Put Rudolph to shame and go to the head of the team with bright, flashing lights!
- Tinseltown. One of the most fun and glitzy ways to decorate an ugly sweater is to cover it in shiny tinsel, whether glued or sewn on. Just for fun, add a giant red stocking to the back.
- Christmas Tree Theme. Choose a green sweater for a base and then decorate it with all sorts of old Christmas baubles and ornaments.
- Starbucks Holiday Coffee Cups. Make a splash in coffee decor by cutting a few takeaway Starbucks holiday-themed cups (complete with lids) in half and gluing them all over an old sweater.
- Ugly Mitten Sweater. Wintertime is the perfect time for Ugly Christmas Sweater Day! Make the most of it by using mismatched pairs of old gloves and sewing them onto a sweater or sweatshirt. Then add different items coming out of them, like flowers or small stuffed animals.
- Sweaters come in a variety of styles, but the pullover sweater is most commonly worn for an ugly sweater event. Pullover sweatshirts are also used. A third type of sweater worn for Ugly Christmas Sweater Day is a sweater vest. Incidentally, the sweater vest has its own day called International Sweater Vestival.
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