The uglier, the better

It used to be that the old sweaters with 3D Rudolph noses and reindeer bells that grandma’s gifted for Christmas were the worst things anyone could possibly receive. Even worse than fruitcake! But times have changed and what was once out of fashion is now publicly accepted and celebrated.

For example, ugly Christmas sweater parties are now the norm with people using this idea as a holiday party theme. And as it turns out, the uglier it is, the bigger hit it is as well. The most extreme of these types of festive sweaters are battery powered with multicolored colored twinkle flashing lights or color changing sweaters that are custom dyed to change from pink to white with heat!

A few years ago, Brian Miller and Adam Paulson, two fraternity brothers from Indiana State University, got into the business of selling the festive apparel. In 2008 they sold 40 sweaters. This year, the high demand has them estimating that this year’s number will rise to about 14,000, and at $24.00 each, they’re hoping to profit nicely from the hideous pieces.

Vardagen, a clothing company that specializes in design and hand-printed apparel, has also gotten into the ugly sweater spirit. They make ugly Christmas sweater t-shirts from eco-friendly blends using organic cotton. Vardagen’s designs sell for about $26.00 a pop.

Vardagen has been kind enough to spread their ugly sweater spirit with Quinceanera.com and has given us a few samples to gift to you this Christmas. You can enter for your chance to snag one of their pieces, and you should do it now. Because if you win, you’ll thank us when you show up to your holiday parties wearing the most posh Christmas t-shirt ever.

This post is also available in: Spanish