Winter Staple | Jobedu Hoodies

Image Source: Mwahaki King Photography

For today, I am discussing the Jobedu clothing line that I learned about while I was in Jordan. I was studying Arabic at the University of Jordan in Amman when some friends told me about this quirky store in Jabal Weibdeh that sold fun and interesting clothes that embodied the city’s growing youth culture. I had complimented the T-Shirt that one of my friends was wearing at the time; a black shirt adorned with the phrase “Parental Advisory: Jordanian Content”, and the conversation flowed from there. A few days later, a group of us were walking down the white cobbled streets of Jabal Weibdeh heading towards the Jobedu store. The buildings around us were all a similar blend of limestone and cement with a view of Downtown Amman in the distance, but we managed to find the store with ease. Outside, the powerful afternoon sun illuminated the streets, casting its light on roadside Nescafe and Tea vendors; but it left the Jobedu store in shadow making it difficult to see what lay inside. I pushed open the glass door and as my eyes adjusted to the light, I was enthralled by the brightly coloured fabrics that lined the walls from the floor to the ceiling. 

I was drawn to a hoodie with the company’s signature yellow logo of Jordan’s ubiquitous “Camel Crossing” road sign, set against jet black material.

A month later, I left the city to spend a few days in the desert at Wadi Rum. I spent my days climbing rocks and my nights under a blanket of stars; and I was eager to purchase Jobedu’s clever "Wadi Rum and Coke" hoodie on my return. Besides, I would need something to keep me warm when I went on another jaunt into the desert for camel riding a few weeks later. Sitting with red sand beneath your feet and the endless night sky above you has a beautiful way of alleviating your worldly concerns and demonstrating how small those problems are in the wide expanse of time and space; but as captivating as they are, those desert nights can get awfully chilly!

Since my time in Jordan, Jobedu has opened another shop in Abdoun and ships internationally through their online store. They have just released their new winter collection and I’m excited to see what their illustrators and designers have come up with this year. So far, I have my eye on the “Freedom” sweatshirt, the “Just Chillin”  hoodie and the hoodie that phonetically asks the question we all have when life gets too hard, strange or just plain random: "Wathafuk (WTF)?"

They also have caps now, which didn't exist when I was there but I think is a great addition to the merchandise. Personally, I like the look of all of them but I might have to snatch up the “Habibi” one before it’s gone.

If you couldn’t tell by now, I absolutely love clothes that have some sort of funny, cool saying on them; so naturally over the course of six months I stocked up on several Jobedu items. However, it is their hoodies that have become a winter staple for me. The material is soft and cosy, without being too bulky; the perfect thing to warm you up on a cold winter's day!