Posted on 12/06/2016 8:47:59 PM PST by nickcarraway
The holiday garment that became cool for being anything but cool has now crept into German culture from overseas. But does that make it uncool once again?
It’s taken on almost cult status in the United States and the United Kingdom, but now this more horrid than haute couture fashion statement has made it to the Bundesrepublik: the ugly Christmas sweater.
While for years anglophones have thrown parties and declared official days for the often sparkling, gaudy, snowflake-bedecked knitwear, Germans have only recently picked up on the trend, which ever more stores are starting to have on offer.
“You see it now more and more,” said Axel Augustin of the Association of German Textile Retailers (BTE).
International companies that are also active in the US and UK have also recently been selling their reindeer-covered stock to Germans, Augustin explained
“I think when it comes to fashion and clothing, Germans are more daring and this can of course lead them to such things. And then they buy more of these sweaters,” Augustin added.
A spokeswoman from Swedish retail giant H&M saw it a bit differently.
“Christmas sweaters transport the pleasant anticipation of the upcoming Christmas holiday and represent having fun with fashion,” the H&M spokeswoman said.
The Scandinavian budget fashion line promoted the craze to its German Twitter base recently, writing that "The time has come! We say 'Ho Ho Ho and Merry Crustmas' to all fans of crazy Christmas sweaters."
Head of the German Fashion Institute Gerd Müller-Thomkins called ugly Christmas sweaters “something in between art and kitsch”.
German footballers have been among the trailblazers for bringing the trend into the country. Bayern Munich, Schalke 04 and FC Cologne all have their own Christmas sweaters for sale under their fan merchandise, often including their team mascots rather than more traditional winter animals.
Artjoms Rudnevs from FC Cologne poses in an 'ugly Christmas sweater' for his team. Photo: FC Cologne/DPA.
This year FC Schalke 04 also released an advertisement on Twitter promoting their "wonderful" and "absolute must-have" ugly sweater.
National team stars Mesut Özil und Shkodran Mustafi have also shared photos on social media, donning their best - and more unattractive - holiday garb.
London-based international NGO Save the Children has started a Christmas Jumper Day - this year on December 16th - for people to share their own silly pictures and donate money towards their cause of promoting children’s rights and support for children in developing countries.
And while Germany doesn’t (yet) have its own Christmas Jumper Day, Müller-Thomkins from the German Fashion Institute noted that the trend in just in its infancy in the Bundesrepublik - it could still grow.
“There is still a lot of space for Christmas sweaters within holiday products,” he said.
“Christmas is perhaps still taken too seriously.”
Ugly sweaters are not the reason for the season. I’ve never understood this idiotic fixation with ugly Christmas sweaters.
The best ones are at Salvation Army stores ...
I love ugly Christmas sweaters. I HAVE to ... my wife and her friends all wear them every year.
The ugly Christmas sweater has hit the trailer park and the hood, so they’re getting crude and sexual now. I’ve seen some that would make Santa blush. For instance: “All I Want For Christmas Is A Big Booty Ho Ho Ho!”
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
It was fun when you stumbled on the truly hideous vintage ones at thrift stores. But now they’re just everywhere and becoming increasingly stupid and offensive.
Although last year I did truly LOL when I saw an ugly sweater on Amazon, featuring a shirtless Santa based upon Putin’s infamous horse riding photo.
An Ugly German Christmas sweater might go ‘Ho, Ho, Heil’ Heh...
London-based international NGO Save the Children has started a Christmas Jumper Day - this year on December 16th - for people to share their own silly pictures
This is what is wrong with the ugly Christmas sweater. I don’t mean to sound uncaring or crude, but Christmas is not about saving the children, it’s about salvation for the world.
The ugly Christmas sweater demeans the season.
To remind Islam that the Eid sucks.
Europe always Years behind America.
As David Lynch said....it’s cool if someone puts plastic pink flamingos on their lawn, if they really think that they’re truly beautiful. But it’s not cool if someone does it just to be ironic.
Wearing an ugly sweater while going shirtless is going to itch like hell, especially if it’s wool.
I was born and raised in L.A.
Why would anyone buy a sweater in December? t’s HOT!!!!
Good!
Sometimes we made them in Sunday School with little molds and plaster of paris and painted them. Then there were the crocheted ones with beads or sequin ornaments...
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