Graduation Hoods - some background

It has been calcuted that number of graduation gown and hood combinations in use Ireland is 1,200 or more. It is a subject of study in its own right and whole books have been written on the academic dress of various institutions and universities.

Academic hoods do vary a lot from place to palce and level to level. This is because they are not only used to distinguish between universities, colleges and institutions, but within any one place, they can also indicate your level of academic achievement and mpotentially even the subject you have studied.

Graduation hoods can be very flamboyant and add real colour to the graduation ceremony and your photographs. The colours range right across the palette and the fabrics used also vary widely. One particular point of note is that in general, fur on a hood indicates that this is a bachelor level hood, whereas  almost no masters or doctoral hoods have fur. This is a residue of the situation hundreds of years ago when fur was cheaper and more abundant than silk so only the richer students, who could afford to be educated to higher levels, could wear the more expensive fabric.

These days each institution has its own specification for academic dress including the hood. Marston Robing has its own knowledge base covering both local and international specifications and regulations so we can be sure to make the academic dress you require to the correct design.