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{{Short description|Objects worn to cover the body}}
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], an example of one of the many modern forms of clothing (from the 1937 ] catalog)]]
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{{Redirect|Clothes|the films|Clothes (1914 film)|and|Clothes (1920 film)}}
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], showing (from top) Egyptians, Ancient Greeks, Romans; Byzantines, Franks; and thirteenth through fifteenth century Europeans]]
'''Clothing''' is defined, in its broadest sense, as coverings for the torso and limbs as well as coverings for the hands (]s), feet (]s, ]s, ]s, ]s) and head (]s, ]s).
], worn throughout the ] region]]
Humans nearly universally wear clothing, which is also known as '''dress''', '''garments''', '''attire''', or '''apparel'''.
People wear clothing for functional as well as for social reasons. Clothing protects the vulnerable ] ] from the extremes of ], other features of our environment, and for safety reasons. But every article of clothing also carries a ] and social meaning.


'''Clothing''' (also known as '''clothes''', '''garments''', '''dress''', '''apparel''', or '''attire''') is any item worn on the ]. Typically, clothing is made of fabrics or ]s, but over time it has included garments made from animal skin and other thin sheets of materials and natural products found in the environment, put together. The wearing of clothing is mostly restricted to ]s and is a feature of all human societies. The amount and type of clothing worn depends on gender, body type, social factors, and geographic considerations. Garments cover the body, ] covers the feet, ] cover the hands, while ] and ] cover the head, and ] covers the ].
People also decorate their bodies with ] or ], ], and other ]; they also cut, dye, and arrange the hair of their heads, ]s, and bodies (see ]), and sometimes also mark their skin (by ]s, ]s, and ]s). All these decorations contribute to the overall effect and message of clothing, but do not constitute clothing per se.


Clothing serves many purposes: it can serve as protection from the elements, rough surfaces, sharp stones, rash-causing plants, and insect bites, by providing a barrier between the skin and the environment. Clothing can insulate against cold or hot conditions, and it can provide a ] barrier, keeping infectious and toxic materials away from the body. It can protect feet from injury and discomfort or facilitate navigation in varied environments. Clothing also provides protection from ]. It may be used to prevent glare or increase visual acuity in harsh environments, such as brimmed hats. Clothing is used for protection against injury in specific tasks and occupations, sports, and warfare. Fashioned with pockets, ], or loops, clothing may provide a means to carry things while freeing the hands.
Articles carried rather than worn (such as ]s, ]s, and ]s) are normally counted as ] rather than as clothing. ] and ] are usually counted as accessories as well, even though in common speech these items are described as being worn rather than carried.


Clothing has significant social factors as well. Wearing clothes is a variable ]. It may connote ]. Being deprived of clothing in front of others may be ]. In many parts of the world, not wearing clothes in public so that ], ], or ] are visible could be considered ]. Pubic area or genital coverage is the most frequently encountered minimum found cross-culturally and regardless of climate, implying ] as the basis of customs. Clothing also may be used to communicate social status, wealth, group identity, and individualism.
==Clothing as functional technology==


Some forms of ] amount to clothing, such as ], ] or a doctor's ], with similar requirements for maintenance and ] as other textiles (]s function both as protective equipment and as a ] ], so the equipment aspect rises above the glove aspect). More specialized forms of protective equipment, such as ]s are classified as protective accessories. At the far extreme, self-enclosing ]s or ]s are ] body covers, and amount to a form of dress, without being clothing per se, while containing enough high technology to amount to more of a tool than a garment. This line will continue to blur as ] embeds assistive devices directly into the fabric itself; the enabling innovations are ultra ] and ].
The practical function of clothing is to protect the human body from dangers in the environment: weather (strong sunlight, extreme heat or cold, and precipitation, for example), ]s, noxious chemicals, ]s, and contact with abrasive substances, and other hazards. Clothing can protect against many things that might injure the naked human body. In some cases clothing protects the environment from the clothing wearer as well (example: ]).


Clothing also hybridizes into a personal transportation system (], ], ], other outdoor ], ]) or ] system (]s, hidden linings or ] in ], integrated holsters for ], ]-laden ]s on the ] — where the purpose of the clothing often carries over into ]). A mode of dress fit to purpose, whether stylistic or functional, is known as an outfit or ensemble.
Humans have shown extreme inventiveness in devising clothing solutions to practical problems and the distinction between clothing and other protective equipment is not always clear-cut.
See, among others: ], ], ], ], ], ], ], and ].


==Origin and history==
== Clothing as social message ==
{{anchor|History}}
]'s bemedaled ] is a social message]]
{{Main|History of clothing and textiles}}
] can involve social status, occupation, ethnic and religious affiliation, marital status and sexual availability, etc. Humans must know the code in order to recognize the message transmitted. If different groups read the same item of clothing or decoration with different meanings, the wearer may provoke unanticipated and/or unwanted responses.
{{See also|History of Western fashion|Category:History of clothing|Evolution of hair}}


===Early use===
The manner of consciously constructing, assembling, and wearing clothing to convey a social message in any culture is governed by current ]. The rate at which fashion changes varies; easily modified styles in wearing or accessorizing clothes can change in months, even days, in small groups or in media-influenced modern societies. More extensive changes, that may require more time, money, or effort to effect, may span generations. When fashion changes, messages from clothing change.


Estimates of when humans began wearing clothes vary from 40,000 to as many as 3 million years ago, but recent studies suggest humans were wearing clothing at least 100,000 years ago.
=== Occupation ===


Recent studies by Ralf Kittler, Manfred Kayser and Mark Stoneking—] at the ]—have attempted to constrain the most recent date of the introduction of clothing with an indirect method relying on ]. The rationale for this method of dating stems from the fact that the human body louse cannot live outside of clothing, dying after only a few hours without shelter. This strongly implies that the date of the body louse's speciation from its parent, ''],'' can have taken place no earlier than the earliest human adoption of clothing. This date, at which the body louse ('']'') diverged from both its parent species and its sibling subspecies, the head louse ('']''), can be determined by the number of mutations each has developed during the intervening time. Such mutations occur at a known rate and the date of last-common-ancestor for two species can therefore be estimated from their frequency. These studies have produced dates from 40,000 to 170,000 years ago, with a greatest likelihood of speciation lying at about 107,000 years ago.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Priest |first1=Tyler |title=How shall we save the planet? The Wizard and the Prophet Charles C. Mann Alfred A. Knopf, 2018. 629 pp. |journal=Science |date=26 January 2018 |volume=359 |issue=6374 |pages=399 |doi=10.1126/science.aar2447 }}</ref>
Military, police, and firefighters usually wear ]s, as do workers in many industries. School children often wear ]s, while college and university students sometimes wear ]. Members of religious orders may wear uniforms known as ]s. Sometimes a single item of clothing or a single accessory can declare one's occupation or rank within a profession &mdash; for example, the high ] or ] worn by a chief cook.


Kittler, Kayser and Stoneking suggest that the invention of clothing may have coincided with the northward migration of modern '']'' away from the warm ] of Africa, which is thought to have begun between 100,000 and 50,000 years ago. A second group of researchers, also relying on the genetic clock, estimate that clothing originated between 30,000 and 114,000 years ago.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Reed |first1=David L |last2=Smith |first2=Vincent S |last3=Hammond |first3=Shaless L |last4=Rogers |first4=Alan R |last5=Clayton |first5=Dale H |title=Genetic Analysis of Lice Supports Direct Contact between Modern and Archaic Humans |journal=PLOS Biology |date=5 October 2004 |volume=2 |issue=11 |pages=e340 |doi=10.1371/journal.pbio.0020340 |doi-access=free |pmid=15502871 |pmc=521174 }}</ref>
:''See also: ].''


Dating with direct archeological evidence produces dates consistent with those of lice. In September 2021, scientists reported evidence of clothes being made 120,000 years ago based on findings in deposits in ].<ref name="iSC-20210916">{{cite journal |author=Hallett, Emily Y. |display-authors=et al. |title=A worked bone assemblage from 120,000–90,000 year old deposits at Contrebandiers Cave, Atlantic Coast,Morocco |date=16 September 2021 |journal=] |volume=24 |issue=9 |page=102988 |doi=10.1016/j.isci.2021.102988 |pmid=34622180 |pmc=8478944 |bibcode=2021iSci...24j2988H |doi-access=free }}</ref><ref name="TG-20210916">{{cite news |last=Davis |first=Nicola |title=Scientists find evidence of humans making clothes 120,000 years ago – Tools and bones in Moroccan cave could be some of earliest evidence of the hallmark human behaviour |url=https://www.theguardian.com/science/2021/sep/16/scientists-find-evidence-of-humans-making-clothes-120000-years-ago |date=16 September 2021 |work=] |accessdate=16 September 2021 |archive-date=28 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211228095707/https://www.theguardian.com/science/2021/sep/16/scientists-find-evidence-of-humans-making-clothes-120000-years-ago |url-status=live }}</ref>
=== Ethnic, political, and religious affiliation ===


The development of clothing is deeply connected to human evolution, with early garments likely consisting of animal skins and natural fibers adapted for protection and social signaling.<ref name="Gilligan2010" /> According to anthropologists and archaeologists, the earliest clothing likely consisted of ], leather, leaves, or grass that was draped, wrapped, or tied around the body. Knowledge of such clothing remains inferential, as ]s deteriorate quickly compared with stone, bone, shell, and metal artifacts. Archeologists have identified very early ]s of bone and ivory from about 30,000 BC, found near ], Russia in 1988,<ref>{{cite web |last1=Hoffecker|first1=J.|last2=Scott|first2=J.|title=Excavations In Eastern Europe Reveal Ancient Human Lifestyles |website= University of Colorado at Boulder |date=March 21, 2002 |url=http://www.colorado.edu/news/r/b278a670675fd8d2ca0700cdc0e9d808.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110719175257/http://www.colorado.edu/news/r/b278a670675fd8d2ca0700cdc0e9d808.html |archive-date=2011-07-19}}</ref> and in 2016 a needle at least 50,000 years old from Denisova Cave in Siberia<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.archaeology.org/news/4784-160823-denisova-cave-needle|title=Denisova Cave Yields a 50,000-Year-Old Needle |website=Archaeology Magazine |date=23 August 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230624092913/https://www.archaeology.org/news/4784-160823-denisova-cave-needle |archive-date= 2023-06-24}}</ref> made by ]s. Dyed ] fibers that date back to 34,000 BC and could have been used in clothing have been found in a prehistoric cave in ].<ref>{{cite journal|author=Balter M|year=2009|title=Clothes Make the (Hu) Man |doi-access=free |journal=Science|volume= 325 |issue=5946|page=1329|doi=10.1126/science.325_1329a|pmid=19745126}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|vauthors=Kvavadze E, Bar-Yosef O, Belfer-Cohen A, Boaretto E, Jakeli N, Matskevich Z, Meshveliani T|year=2009|title=30,000-Year-Old Wild Flax Fibers|url=http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:4270521|journal=Science|volume=325|issue=5946|page= 1359|doi=10.1126/science.1175404|pmid=19745144|bibcode=2009Sci...325.1359K|s2cid=206520793|access-date=2017-04-22|archive-date=2020-03-04|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200304052409/https://dash.harvard.edu/handle/1/4270521 |url-status=live}} </ref>
In many regions of the world, ]s and styles in clothing and ornament declare membership in a certain village, caste, religion, etc. A Scotsman declares his clan with his ]. A ] displays his religious affiliation by wearing a ] and other traditional clothing. A French peasant woman would have identified her village with her cap or ].


===Making clothing===
Clothes can also proclaim dissent from cultural norms and mainstream beliefs, as well as personal independence. In ] Europe, artists and writers lived '']'' and dressed to shock: ] in men's clothing, female emancipationists in ], male artists in velvet ]s and gaudy neckcloths. ]s, ]s, ]s, ]s, ]s and ]s have continued the (]) tradition in the ] ]. Now that ] plagiarizes ] within a year or so, street fashion may have lost some of its power to shock, but it still motivates millions trying to look ] and ].
{{See also|Clothing industry||knitting|weaving}}
Several distinct human cultures, including those residing in the Arctic Circle, have historically crafted their garments exclusively from treated and adorned animal furs and skins. In contrast, numerous other societies have complemented or substituted leather and skins with textiles woven, knitted, or twined from a diverse array of animal and plant fibers, such as wool, linen, cotton, silk, hemp, and ramie.
] lady wearing ], one of the most ancient and popular pieces of clothing in the ], painting by ]]]


Although modern consumers may take the production of clothing for granted, making fabric by hand is a tedious and labor-intensive process involving fiber making, spinning, and weaving. The textile industry was the first to be mechanized&nbsp;– with the ]&nbsp;– during the ].
=== Marital status ===


Different cultures have evolved various ways of creating clothes out of cloth. One approach involves draping the cloth. Many people wore, and still wear, garments consisting of rectangles of cloth wrapped to fit&nbsp;– for example, the ] for men and the ] for women in the ], the Scottish ], and the Javanese ]. The clothes may be tied up (dhoti and sari) or implement pins or belts to hold the garments in place (kilt and sarong). The cloth remains uncut, and people of various ] can wear the garment.
Some Hindu women, once ], wear '']'', a red powder, in the parting of their hair; if widowed, they abandon ''sindoor'' and jewelry and wear simple white clothing. Men and women of the Western world may wear ]s to indicate their marital status. {{seealso|Visual markers of marital status}}


Another approach involves measuring, cutting, and sewing the cloth by hand or with a ]. Clothing can be cut from a ] and adjusted by a tailor to the wearer's measurements. An adjustable sewing mannequin or ] is used to create form-fitting clothing. If the fabric is expensive, the tailor tries to use every bit of the cloth rectangle in constructing the clothing; perhaps cutting triangular pieces from one corner of the cloth, and adding them elsewhere as ]s. Traditional European patterns for shirts and ]s take this approach. These remnants can also be reused to make patchwork pockets, hats, ], and ]s.
=== Sexual interest ===


Modern European fashion treats cloth much less conservatively, typically cutting in such a way as to leave various odd-shaped cloth remnants. Industrial sewing operations sell these as waste; domestic sewers may turn them into ]s.
What constitutes modesty and allure varies radically from culture to culture, within different contexts in the same culture, and over time as different ]s rise and fall.


In the thousands of years that humans have been making clothing, they have created an astonishing array of styles, many of which have been reconstructed from surviving garments, photographs, paintings, ]s, etc., as well as from written descriptions. Costume history can inspire current fashion designers, as well as costumiers for plays, films, television, and ].
== Sexual fetishes involving clothing ==


== Clothing as comfort ==
Because clothing and adornment are closely related to ideas of human sexuality and sexual display, humans may develop clothing ]es. They may be strongly aroused by the sight of another person wearing clothing and accessories they consider arousing or sexually exciting. Sometimes the object of clothing becomes the object of arousal itself. Fetishes have been documented in every culture and have been recorded throughout history. Common fetishes involving clothing include arousal by or involving ], ], ] or ].
] and ] at the warm summer in ]]]
] is related to various perceptions, physiological, social, and psychological needs, and after food, it is clothing that satisfies these comfort needs. Clothing provides aesthetic, tactile, thermal, moisture, and pressure comfort.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Song |first=Guowen |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XElWAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA22 |title=Improving Comfort in Clothing |publisher=Woodhead Publishing |year=2011 |isbn=978-0-85709-064-5 |location=Oxford Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |pages=22 |access-date=2023-03-19 |archive-date=2023-03-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230326164807/https://books.google.com/books?id=XElWAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA22 |url-status=live }}</ref>
;Aesthetic comfort: Visual perception is influenced by ], fabric construction, style, garment fit, fashion compatibility, and finish of clothing material. Aesthetic comfort is necessary for psychological and social comfort.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Song |first=Guowen |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XElWAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA440 |title=Improving Comfort in Clothing |publisher=Woodhead Publishing |year=2011 |isbn=978-0-85709-064-5 |pages=440 |access-date=2023-03-19 |archive-date=2023-03-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230326164807/https://books.google.com/books?id=XElWAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA440 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Li |first1=Y. |title=The Science of Clothing Comfort |journal=Textile Progress |date=March 2001 |volume=31 |issue=1–2 |pages=1–135 |doi=10.1080/00405160108688951 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Lyle |first=Dorothy Siegert |url=http://archive.org/details/moderntextiles02edlyle |title=Modern textiles |date=1982 |publisher=John Wiley & Sons |others=Internet Archive |isbn=978-0-471-07805-0 |location=New York |pages=29 |url-access=registration}}</ref>
;] and thermophysiological comfort: Thermophysiological comfort is the capacity of the clothing material that makes the balance of moisture and heat between the body and the environment. It is a property of textile materials that creates ease by maintaining moisture and thermal levels in a human's resting and active states. The selection of textile material significantly affects the comfort of the wearer. Different textile fibers have unique properties that make them suitable for use in various environments. Natural fibers are breathable and absorb moisture, and synthetic fibers are hydrophobic; they repel moisture and do not allow air to pass. :: Different environments demand a diverse selection of clothing materials. Hence, the appropriate choice is important.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Cubrić |first1=Ivana Salopek |last2=Skenderi |first2=Zenun |title=Evaluating thermophysiological comfort using the principles of sensory analysis |journal=Collegium Antropologicum |date=March 2013 |volume=37 |issue=1 |pages=57–64 |pmid=23697251 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Song |first=Guowen |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XElWAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA114 |title=Improving Comfort in Clothing |date=2011 |publisher=Elsevier |isbn=978-0-85709-064-5 |pages=114 |language=en |access-date=2021-06-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210624210255/https://books.google.com/books?id=XElWAgAAQBAJ&q=Thermophysiological+comfort&pg=PA114 |archive-date=2021-06-24 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Stevens |first=Katy|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VwKXtwAACAAJ|title=Thermophysiological comfort and water resistant protection in soft shell protective garments|date=2008|publisher=University of Leeds (School of Design) |language=en|access-date=2021-06-27|archive-date=2021-06-24|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210624210559/https://books.google.com/books?id=VwKXtwAACAAJ|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hXRQAAAAYAAJ&q=Thermophysiological+comfort|title=Textile Trends|date=2001|publisher=Eastland Publications.|pages=16|language=en|access-date=2021-06-27|archive-date=2021-06-24|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210624211406/https://books.google.com/books?id=hXRQAAAAYAAJ&q=Thermophysiological+comfort|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=U8pGAAAAYAAJ&q=Thermophysiological+comfort |title=Pre-print of Conference Proceedings: Textile Institute 1988 Annual World Conference, Sydney, Australia, 10–13 July |date=1988 |publisher=Textile Institute |isbn=978-1-870812-08-5 |page=9 |language=en |access-date=2021-06-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210624212500/https://books.google.com/books?id=U8pGAAAAYAAJ&q=Thermophysiological+comfort |archive-date=2021-06-24 |url-status=}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Ruckman |first1=J.E. |last2=Murray |first2=R. |last3=Choi |first3=H.S. |title=Engineering of clothing systems for improved thermophysiological comfort: The effect of openings |journal=International Journal of Clothing Science and Technology |date=March 1999 |volume=11 |issue=1 |pages=37–52 |doi=10.1108/09556229910258098 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Varshney |first1=R. K. |last2=Kothari |first2=V. K. |last3=Dhamija |first3=S. |title=A study on thermophysiological comfort properties of fabrics in relation to constituent fibre fineness and cross-sectional shapes |journal=Journal of the Textile Institute |date=17 May 2010 |volume=101 |issue=6 |pages=495–505 |doi=10.1080/00405000802542184 }}</ref> The major determinants that influence thermophysiological comfort are permeable construction, heat, and moisture transfer rate.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Collier |first=Billie J. |url=http://archive.org/details/understandingtex0000coll |title=Understanding textiles |date=2000 |publisher=Upper Saddle River, NJ : Prentice Hall |others=Internet Archive |isbn=978-0-13-021951-0 |pages=539 |url-access=registration}}</ref>
;Thermal comfort: One primary criterion for our physiological needs is thermal comfort. The heat dissipation effectiveness of clothing gives the wearer a neither very hot nor very cold feel. The optimum temperature for thermal comfort of the skin surface is between {{Convert|28 and 30|C|F|abbr=}}, i.e., a neutral temperature. Thermophysiology reacts whenever the temperature falls below or exceeds the neutral point on either side; it is discomforting below 28 and above 30 degrees.<ref name="Gagge et al Comfort and thermal sensations">{{cite journal |last1=Gagge |first1=A. P. |last2=Stolwijk |first2=J. A. |last3=Hardy |first3=J. D. |title=Comfort and thermal sensations and associated physiological responses at various ambient temperatures |journal=Environmental Research |date=June 1967 |volume=1 |issue=1 |pages=1–20 |doi=10.1016/0013-9351(67)90002-3 |pmid=5614624 |bibcode=1967ER......1....1G }}</ref> Clothing maintains a thermal balance; it keeps the skin dry and cool. It helps to keep the body from overheating while avoiding heat from the environment.<ref name="Gagge et al Comfort and thermal sensations"/><ref>{{Cite book |last=Song |first=Guowen |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XElWAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA149 |title=Improving Comfort in Clothing |publisher=Woodhead Publishing |year=2011 |isbn=978-0-85709-064-5 |pages=149, 166 |access-date=2023-03-19 |archive-date=2023-03-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230326164813/https://books.google.com/books?id=XElWAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA149 |url-status=live }}</ref>
;Moisture comfort: Moisture comfort is the prevention of a damp sensation. According to Hollies' research, it feels uncomfortable when more than "50% to 65% of the body is wet."{{cite quote|date=August 2024}}
;] comfort: Tactile comfort is a resistance to the discomfort related to the friction created by clothing against the body. It is related to the smoothness, roughness, softness, and stiffness of the fabric used in clothing. The degree of tactile discomfort may vary between individuals, which is possible due to various factors including allergies, tickling, prickling, skin abrasion, coolness, and the fabric's weight, structure, and thickness. There are specific surface finishes (mechanical and chemical) that can enhance tactile comfort. Fleece sweatshirts and velvet clothing, for example. Soft, clingy, stiff, heavy, light, hard, sticky, scratchy, prickly are all terms used to describe tactile sensations.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Au|first=K.F.|title=Advances in Knitting Technology|publisher=Woodhead Publishing|year=2011 |isbn=978-1-84569-372-5}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Song |first=Guowen |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XElWAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA167 |title=Improving Comfort in Clothing |publisher=Woodhead Publishing |year=2011 |isbn=978-0-85709-064-5 |pages=167, 192, 208 |access-date=2023-03-19 |archive-date=2023-03-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230326164813/https://books.google.com/books?id=XElWAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA167 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Song |first=Guowen |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XElWAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA223 |title=Improving Comfort in Clothing |publisher=Woodhead Publishing |year=2011 |isbn=978-0-85709-064-5 |pages=223, 235, 237, 427 |access-date=2023-03-19 |archive-date=2023-03-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230326164813/https://books.google.com/books?id=XElWAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA223 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |doi=10.1533/9780857090645.2.216 |chapter=Improving tactile comfort in fabrics and clothing |title=Improving Comfort in Clothing |date=2011 |last1=Das |first1=A. |last2=Alagirusamy |first2=R. |pages=216–244 |isbn=978-1-84569-539-2 }}</ref>
;Pressure comfort: The comfort of the human body's pressure receptors' (present in the skin) sensory response towards clothing. Fabric with lycra feels more comfortable because of this response and superior pressure comfort. The sensation response is influenced by the material's structure: snugging, looseness, heavy, light, soft, or stiff structuring.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Song |first=Guowen |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XElWAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA25 |title=Improving Comfort in Clothing |publisher=Woodhead Publishing |year=2011 |isbn=978-0-85709-064-5 |pages=25, 235, 432 |access-date=2023-03-19 |archive-date=2023-03-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230326164813/https://books.google.com/books?id=XElWAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA25 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |doi=10.1533/9781845696443.201 |chapter=Physiological comfort of fabrics and garments |title=Engineering Apparel Fabrics and Garments |date=2009 |last1=Fan |first1=J. |pages=201–250 |isbn=978-1-84569-134-9 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |doi=10.1016/B978-1-84569-931-4.00029-5 |chapter=Improving the Comfort of Garments |title=Textiles and Fashion |date=2015 |last1=Hunter |first1=L. |last2=Fan |first2=J. |pages=739–761 |isbn=978-1-84569-931-4 }}</ref>


==Functions==
Fetishes vary as much as ]. Sometimes the clothing itself becomes the object of fetish, such as in case with ] in Japan. Some clothing manufacturers make ''fetish clothing'', designed to arouse buyers with specialized tastes.
] wearing many items of winter clothing: ], ], fur-lined ], scarf, and ]]]


The most obvious function of clothing is to protect the wearer from the elements. It serves to prevent wind damage and provides protection from ]. In the cold, it offers ]. Shelter can reduce the functional need for clothing. For example, ], hats, gloves, and other outer layers are normally removed when entering a warm place. Similarly, clothing has seasonal and regional aspects so that thinner materials and fewer layers of clothing generally are worn in warmer regions and seasons than in colder ones. Boots, hats, jackets, ponchos, and coats designed to protect from rain and snow are specialized clothing items.
== Religious habits and special religious clothing ==
Religious clothing might be considered a special case of occupational clothing. Sometimes it is worn only during the performance of religious ceremonies. However, it may also be worn everyday as a marker for special religious status.
]


Clothing has been made from a wide variety of materials, ranging from leather and ]s to woven fabrics, to elaborate and exotic natural and ]. Not all body coverings are regarded as clothing. Articles carried rather than worn normally are considered ] rather than clothing (such as ]), items worn on a single part of the body and easily removed (]), worn purely for adornment (jewelry), or items that do not serve a protective function. For instance, corrective ], Arctic ], and ] would not be considered an accessory because of their protective functions.
For example, ]s wear unstitched cloth pieces when performing religious ceremonies. The unstitched cloth signifies unified and complete devotion to the task at hand, with no digression.


Clothing protects against many things that might injure or irritate the naked human body, including rain, snow, wind, and other weather, as well as from the sun. Garments that are too sheer, thin, small, or tight offer less protection. Appropriate clothes can also reduce risk during activities such as work or sport. Some clothing protects from specific hazards, such as insects, toxic chemicals, weather, ], and contact with abrasive substances.
The cleanliness of religious dresses in Eastern Religions like ], ] and ] is of paramount importance, which indicates purity.


Humans have devised clothing solutions to environmental or other hazards: such as ], ], ], ], ], ], ], and other pieces of ]. The distinction between clothing and protective equipment is not always clear-cut since clothes designed to be fashionable often have protective value, and clothes designed for function often have corporate fashion in their design.
:''See also: ].''


The choice of clothes also has social implications. They cover parts of the body that social norms require to be covered, act as a form of adornment, and serve other social purposes. Someone who lacks the means to procure appropriate clothing due to poverty or affordability, or lack of inclination, sometimes is said to be worn, ragged, or shabby.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Baradel |first1=Lacey |title=Geographic Mobility and Domesticity in Eastman Johnson's ''The Tramp'' |journal=American Art |date=June 2014 |volume=28 |issue=2 |pages=26–49 |doi=10.1086/677964 }}</ref>
==Sport and activity==


Clothing performs a range of social and ] functions, such as individual, occupational, gender differentiation, and social status.<ref name="Flugel1930">{{citation |date=1976|orig-year= 1930 |author=Flugel, John Carl |title=The Psychology of Clothes |series=International Psycho-analytical Library |volume=18 |publisher=New York: AMS Press. First published by Hogarth Press, London | isbn =978-0-404-14721-1}}{{pn|date=August 2024}} (This work is one of the earliest attempts at an overview of the psycho-social and practical functions of clothing{{fact|date=August 2024}})</ref> In many societies, norms about clothing reflect standards of ], religion, ], and ]. Clothing may also function as adornment and an expression of personal taste or style.
Most sports and physical activities are practised wearing special clothing, for practical, comfort or safety reasons. Common ] garments include ], ]s, ]s, ]s, and ]. Specialised garments include ]s (for ], ] or ]) and ] (for ]).


==Scholarship==
==Clothing materials==
===Function of clothing===
] for ]'s '']'' (1833–34)]]
Serious books on clothing and its functions appear from the nineteenth century as ] interacted with new environments such as tropical ones in Asia.<ref name="Jeffreys1858">e.g. {{citation |year=1858 |author=Jeffreys, Julius |title=The British Army in India: Its Preservation by an appropriate Clothing, Housing, Locating, Recreative Employment, and Hopeful Encouragement of the Troops |place=London |publisher=Longman, Brown, Green, Longmans & Roberts |url=https://archive.org/stream/britisharmyinin01jeffgoog#page/n7/mode/1up |access-date=8 September 2010}}</ref> Some scientific research into the multiple functions of clothing in the first half of the twentieth century, with publications such as ]'s ''Psychology of Clothes'' in 1930,<ref name="Flugel1930" /> and Newburgh's seminal ''Physiology of Heat Regulation and The Science of Clothing'' in 1949.<ref name="Newburgh1968">{{citation |date=1968|orig-year= 1949 |editor=Newburgh, Louis Harry |title=Physiology of Heat Regulation and The Science of Clothing |place=New York & London |publisher=Hafner Publishing}}</ref> By 1968, the field of Environmental Physiology had advanced and expanded significantly, but the science of clothing in relation to environmental physiology had changed little.<ref name="Hertig1969">{{cite journal |last1=Hertig |first1=Bruce A. |title=Physiology of Heat Regulation and the Science of Clothing |journal=Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine |date=February 1969 |volume=11 |issue=2 |pages=100 |doi=10.1097/00043764-196902000-00012 |pmc=1520373 }}</ref> There has since been considerable research, and the knowledge base has grown significantly, but the main concepts remain unchanged, and indeed, Newburgh's book continues to be cited by contemporary authors, including those attempting to develop thermoregulatory models of clothing development.<ref name="Gilligan2010">{{citation |date=January 2010 |author=Gilligan, Ian |title=The Prehistoric Development of Clothing: Archaeological Implications of a Thermal Model |journal=Journal of Archaeological Method and Theory |volume=17 |issue=1 |pages=15–80 |doi=10.1007/s10816-009-9076-x|s2cid=143004288 }}</ref>


Common clothing materials include: ===History of clothing===
] held in Louvre museum, {{Circa|1300 BC}}]]
* ], typically made of ], ], ], ], ], ], ], or ]s
Clothing reveals much about human history. According to Professor Kiki Smith of Smith College, garments preserved in collections are resources for study similar to books and paintings.<ref name="Should These Clothes Be Saved">{{cite news |last1=Friedman |first1=Vanessa |title=Should These Clothes Be Saved? |work=The New York Times |date=April 29, 2019}}</ref> Scholars around the world have studied a wide range of clothing topics, including the history of specific items of clothing,<ref>{{cite book |last1=Summers |first1=Leigh |title=Bound to Please: A History of the Victorian Corset |date=2001 |publisher=Berg |location=Oxford |isbn=185973-530-4}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Stutesman |first1=Drake |title=Hat: Origins, Language, Style |date=2019 |publisher=Reaktion Books |location=London |isbn=978-1789141368 |edition=1st}}</ref> clothing styles in different cultural groups,<ref>{{cite book |last1=Cole |first1=Shaun |title=Don We Now Our Gay Apparel: Gay Men's Dress in the Twentieth Century |date=2000 |publisher=Berg |location=Oxford |isbn=1-85973-415-4}}</ref> and the business of clothing and fashion.<ref>{{cite book |last1=White |first1=Nicola |last2=Griffiths |first2=Ian |title=The Fashion of Business: Theory, Practice and Image |date=2000 |publisher=Berg |location=Oxford |isbn=1-85973-354-9}}</ref> The textile curator Linda Baumgarten writes that "clothing provides a remarkable picture of the daily lives, beliefs, expectations, and hopes of those who lived in the past.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Baumgarten |first1=Linda |title=What Clothes Reveail |date=2002 |publisher=The Colonial Williamsberg Foundation |location=Williamsburg, Virginia |isbn=0300095805}}</ref>
* ] for down-filled ]s
* ]
* ]


Clothing presents a number of challenges to historians. Clothing made of textiles or skins is subject to decay, and the erosion of physical integrity may be seen as a loss of cultural information.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=DeSilvey |first1=Caitlin |title=Observed Decay: Telling Stories with Mutable Things |journal=Journal of Material Culture |date=2006 |volume=11 |issue=3 |page=318 |doi=10.1177/1359183506068808 |s2cid=145167639 |url=http://mcu.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/11/3/318 |access-date=12 November 2020 |archive-date=14 April 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090414103855/http://mcu.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/11/3/318 |url-status=live }}</ref> Costume collections often focus on important pieces of clothing considered unique or otherwise significant, limiting the opportunities scholars have to study everyday clothing.<ref name="Should These Clothes Be Saved"/>
Less-common clothing materials include:
* ]
* ]
* ]
* Recycled ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* Recycled or Recovered ]
* ]
* ]
* Other ]s


==Cultural aspects==
Reinforcing materials such as ], ], ] and ] may be used in ]s or to stiffen garments.
Clothing has long served as a marker of social status, gender, and cultural identity, reflecting broader societal structures and values.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Hansen |first1=Karen Tranberg |title=The World in Dress: Anthropological Perspectives on Clothing, Fashion, and Culture |journal=Annual Review of Anthropology |date=October 2004 |volume=33 |issue=1 |pages=369–392 |doi=10.1146/annurev.anthro.33.070203.143805 }}</ref>


===Gender differentiation===
==Clothing maintenance==
]
<gallery>
Ring ceremony, Indian Hindu wedding.jpg|A ] North Indian wedding, the groom wearing a ] and ] and the bride wearing a ]
Shinzō Abe and Ivanka Trump (4).jpg|] ] and ] (right) wearing Western-style gender-differentiated ]s (2017)
Gabriel Garko and Laura Torrisi - nicogenin - 66ème Festival de Venise (Mostra) - The Road (3).jpg|Italian actors ] in a ] and ] in a ], considered ] by designer ] (2009)
3rd Duke of Fife in Kilt. Allan Warren.jpg|3rd Duke of Fife wearing a traditional ] (1984)
</gallery>


In most cultures, gender differentiation of clothing is considered appropriate. The differences are in styles, colors, fabrics, and types.
Clothing, once manufactured, suffers assault both from within and from without. The human body inside sheds skin cells and body oils, and exudes sweat, urine, and feces. From the outside, sun damage, damp, abrasion, dirt, and other indignities afflict the garment. Fleas and lice take up residence in clothing seams. Well-worn clothing, if not cleaned and refurbished, will smell, itch, look scruffy, and lose functionality (as when ]s fall off and ]s fail).


In contemporary Western societies, ]s, ], and ]s are usually seen as women's clothing, while neckties usually are seen as men's clothing. ] were once seen as exclusively men's clothing, but nowadays are worn by both genders. Men's clothes are often more practical (that is, they can function well under a wide variety of situations), but a wider range of clothing styles is available for women. Typically, men are allowed to ] in a greater variety of public places. It is generally common for a woman to wear clothing perceived as masculine, while the opposite is seen as unusual. Contemporary men may sometimes choose to wear ] such as ] or ]s in particular cultures, especially on ceremonial occasions. In previous times, such garments often were worn as normal daily clothing by men.
In some cases, people simply wear an item of clothing until it falls apart. Cleaning leather presents difficulties; one cannot wash bark cloth (tapa) without dissolving it. Owners may patch tears and rips, and brush off surface dirt, but old leather and bark clothing will always look ''old''.


In some cultures, ]s regulate what men and women are required to wear. ] requires women to wear certain forms of attire, usually ]. What items required varies in different Muslim societies; however, women are usually required to cover more of their bodies than men. Articles of clothing Muslim women wear under these laws or traditions range from the ] to the ].
But most clothing consists of cloth, and most cloth can be ] and mended (], ], but compare ]).


Some contemporary clothing styles designed to be worn by either gender, such as T-shirts, have started out as menswear, but some articles, such as the ], originally were a style for women.
Humans have developed many specialized methods for laundering, ranging from the earliest "pound clothes against rocks in running stream" to the latest in electronic ]s and ] (dissolving dirt in ] other than water).


===Social status===
In past times, ] was an art. A meticulous ] or ] could mend rips with thread raveled from ]s and seam edges so skillfully that the darn was practically invisible. When the raw material &mdash; cloth &mdash; was worth more than labor, it made sense to expend labor in saving it. Today clothing is considered a consumable item. Mass-manufactured clothing is less expensive than the time it would take to repair it. Many people prefer to buy a new piece of clothing rather than to spend their time mending old clothes. But the thrifty still replace ]s and ]s and sew up ripped ]s.
<gallery>
Rajput Sherwani 2014-04-23 04-27.JPG|'']'' ] and '']'' (lower body) worn by ] and his kin during a ] in ], are items traditionally worn by the elites of the ].
Barong Tagalog.jpg|A ] made for a wedding ceremony
Prokudin-Gorskii-19.jpg|]'s bemedaled ] conveys a social message about his wealth, status, and power.
</gallery>
During the ], individuals utilized their attire as a significant method of conveying and asserting their social status. Individuals employed the utilization of high-quality fabrics and trendy designs as a means of communicating their wealth and social standing, as well as an indication of their knowledge and understanding of current fashion trends to the general public. As a result, clothing played a significant role in making the social hierarchy perceptible to all members of society.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Andersson |first1=Eva I. |title=Swedish Burghers' Dress in the Seventeenth Century |journal=Costume |date=September 2017 |volume=51 |issue=2 |pages=171–189 |doi=10.3366/cost.2017.0023 }}</ref>


In some societies, clothing may be used to indicate rank or ]. In ], for example, only senators could wear garments dyed with ]. In traditional ] society, only high-ranking chiefs could wear ]s and palaoa, or carved whale teeth. In China, before establishment of the ], only the emperor could wear yellow. History provides many examples of elaborate ]s that regulated what people could wear. In societies without such laws, which includes most modern societies, social status is signaled by the purchase of rare or luxury items that are limited by cost to those with wealth or status. In addition, ] influences clothing choice.
== The life cycle of clothing ==


===Religion===
Used, no-longer-wearable clothing was once desirable raw material for ]s, ]s, ]s, and many other household uses. It could also be recycled into ]. Now it is usually thrown away. Used but still wearable clothing can be sold at ]s, ]s, ], or just donated to charity. Charities usually skim the best of the clothing to sell in their own ]s and sell the rest to merchants, who bale it up and ship it to poor ] countries, where vendors bid for the bales and then make what profit they can selling used clothing.
{{main|Religious clothing}}
<gallery>
Gandhara Buddha (tnm).jpeg|The ] wearing ] robes, originating from ]. These robes were worn by fully ordained Buddhist monks and nuns.
Clerical clothing.jpg|] worn by ]
</gallery>
Some religious clothing might be considered a special case of occupational clothing. Sometimes it is worn only during the performance of religious ceremonies. However, it may be worn every day as a marker for special religious status. Sikhs wear a turban as it is a part of their religion.


In some religions such as ], ], ], and ] the cleanliness of religious dresses is of paramount importance and considered to indicate purity. Jewish ritual requires rending (tearing) of one's upper garment as a sign of mourning. The Quran says about husbands and wives, regarding clothing: "...They are clothing/covering (Libaas) for you; and you for them" (chapter 2:187). ] members wear religious ] during ] services and may wear specific ] at other times.
==Early 21st-century clothing styles==


Clothing appears in numerous contexts in the Bible. The most prominent passages are: the story of ] who made coverings for themselves out of ], ]'s ], and the clothing of ] and ], ] and ]. Furthermore, the priests officiating in the Temple in Jerusalem had very specific garments, the lack of which made one liable to death.
Western fashion has to a certain extent become international fashion, as Western media and styles penetrate all parts of the world. Very few parts of the world remain where people do not wear items of cheap, mass-produced Western clothing. Even people in poor countries can afford ] from richer Western countries.


==Contemporary clothing==
However, people may wear ethnic or ] on special occasions or if carrying out certain roles or occupations. For example, most Japanese women have adopted Western-style dress for daily wear, but will still wear silk ]s on special occasions. Items of Western dress may also appear worn or accessorized in distinctive, non-Western ways. A Tongan man may combine a used ] with a Tongan wrapped skirt, or ].
{{Western dress codes}}


=== Western dress code ===
Western fashion, too, does not function monolithically. It comes in many varieties, from expensive ] to ] ].
The Western ] has changed over the past 500+ years. The mechanization of the ] made many varieties of cloth widely available at affordable prices. Styles have changed, and the availability of ]s has changed the definition of what is "stylish". In the latter half of the twentieth century, ] became very popular, and are now worn to events that normally demand formal attire. ] has also become a large and growing market.


]
===Mainstream Western or international styles===
In the Western dress code, jeans are worn by both men and women. There are several unique styles of jeans found that include: high rise jeans, mid rise jeans, low rise jeans, bootcut jeans, straight jeans, cropped jeans, skinny jeans, cuffed jeans, boyfriend jeans, and capri jeans.


The licensing of designer names was pioneered by designers such as ], ], and ] in the 1960s and has been a common practice within the ] from about the 1970s. Among the more popular include ] and ], named for Marc Jacobs Guccio Gucci respectively.
*] &mdash; global in influence, just as ] functions globally.
*]
*]


===Regional styles=== === Spread of western styles ===
] in the U.S.]]


By the early years of the twenty-first century, western clothing styles had, to some extent, become international styles. This process began hundreds of years earlier, during the periods of European ]. The process of cultural dissemination has been perpetuated over the centuries, spreading Western culture and styles, most recently as Western media corporations have penetrated markets throughout the world. ] clothing has also become a global phenomenon. These garments are less expensive, mass-produced Western clothing. Also, donated ] clothing from Western countries is delivered to people in poor countries by charity organizations.
*]
*]
**]
**]
:For example: "]" fashion, regional styles such as ] or ].
**]
:These fashions are often associated with fans of various musical styles.


=== Ethnic and cultural heritage ===
:''See also ], ], ], ], and ]''
People may wear ethnic or ] on special occasions or in certain roles or occupations. For example, most Korean men and women have adopted Western-style dress for daily wear, but still wear traditional ]s on special occasions, such as weddings and cultural holidays. Also, items of ] may be worn or accessorized in distinctive, non-Western ways. A Tongan man may combine a used ] with a Tongan wrapped skirt, or ].


===Sport and activity===
*]
{{Main|Sportswear|Sportswear (fashion)}}
*]
] and ], conventionally women's ], but now worn as ] or ] by women in the West]]
*]
For practical, comfort or safety reasons, most sports and physical activities are practised wearing special clothing. Common sportswear garments include ], ]s, ]s, ]s, ]s, and ]. Specialized garments include ]s (for swimming, ], or ]), ] (for ]), and ] (for gymnastics). Also, ] materials often are used as base layers to soak up sweat. Spandex is preferable for active sports that require form fitting garments, such as volleyball, wrestling, track and field, dance, gymnastics, and swimming.
]s often are the source of the latest trends in clothing/ fashions. Photograph of a model in a modern ] reflecting the current ] at an ] fashion show]]


=== Fashion ===
==Origin and history of clothing==
{{Main|Fashion|{{#expr:floor({{CURRENTYEAR}}/10)*10}}s in fashion}}
Paris set the 1900–1940 fashion trends for Europe and North America.<ref>{{cite journal |first1=Mary Louise |last1=Roberts |title=Samson and Delilah revisited: the politics of women's fashion in 1920s France |journal=American Historical Review |volume=98 |issue=3 |date=1993 |pages=657–684 |doi=10.2307/2167545 |jstor=2167545 }}</ref> In the 1920s the goal was all about getting loose. Women wore dresses all day, every day. Day dresses had a drop waist, which was a sash or belt around the low waist or hip and a skirt that hung anywhere from the ankle on up to the knee, never above. Day wear had sleeves (long to mid-bicep) and a skirt that was straight, pleated, hank hemmed, or tiered. Jewelry was not conspicuous.<ref>{{cite journal |first1=Simon |last1=Bliss |title='L'intelligence de la parure': Notes on Jewelry Wearing in the 1920s |journal=Fashion Theory |volume=20 |issue=1 |date=2016 |pages=5–26 |doi=10.1080/1362704X.2015.1077652 }}</ref> Hair was often bobbed, giving a boyish look.<ref>{{cite journal |first1=Steven |last1=Zdatny |title=The Boyish Look and the Liberated Woman: The Politics and Aesthetics of Women's Hairstyles |journal=Fashion Theory |volume=1 |issue=4 |date=1997 |pages=367–397 |doi=10.2752/136270497779613639 }}</ref>


In the early twenty-first century a diverse range of styles exists in fashion, varying by geography, exposure to modern media, economic conditions, and ranging from expensive ], to traditional garb, to ] ]. ]s are events for designers to show off new and often extravagant designs.
] clothed in ]]]
According to archaeologists and anthropologists, the earliest clothing probably consisted of ], ], leaves or grass, draped, wrapped or tied about the body for protection from the elements. Knowledge of such clothing remains inferential, since clothing materials deteriorate quickly compared to stone, bone, shell and metal artifacts. Archeologists have identified very early ]s of bone and ivory from about 30,000 BC, found near Kostenki, ], in 1988.


==Political issues==
Ralf Kittler, Manfred Kayser and Mark Stoneking, ] at the ], have conducted a genetic analysis of human ] that indicates that they originated about 107,000 years ago. Since most humans have very sparse body hair, body lice require clothing to survive, so this suggests a surprisingly recent date for the invention of clothing. Its invention may have coincided with the spread of modern '']'' from the warm ] of ], thought to have begun between 50,000 and 100,000 years ago. However, a second group of researchers used similar genetic methods to estimate that body lice originated about 540,000 years ago (Reed et al. 2004. PLoS Biology 2(11): e340). For now, the date of the origin of clothing remains unresolved.


===Working conditions in the garments industry===
Some human cultures, such as the various peoples of the ], until recently made their clothing entirely of furs and skins, cutting clothing to fit and decorating lavishly.
{{Further|Clothing industry}}
]]]
]


Although ] transformed most aspects of human ], by the mid-twentieth century, garment workers have continued to labor under challenging conditions that demand repetitive manual labor. Often, ] clothing is made in what are considered by some to be ], typified by long work hours, lack of benefits, and lack of worker representation. While most examples of such conditions are found in ], clothes made in ]s may also be manufactured under similar conditions.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hendriksz |first=Vivian |date=2017-11-09 |title='Made in Europe' label linked to European sweatshops |url=https://fashionunited.uk/news/business/made-in-europe-label-linked-to-european-sweatshops/2017110926692 |access-date=2022-05-03 |website=FashionUnited |language=en |archive-date=2022-07-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220730071915/https://fashionunited.uk/news/business/made-in-europe-label-linked-to-european-sweatshops/2017110926692 |url-status=live }}</ref>
Other cultures have supplemented or replaced leather and skins with cloth: woven, knitted, or twined from various animal and vegetable fibres. ''See ], ], and ].''


Coalitions of NGOs, designers (including Katharine Hamnett, ], ], ], eVocal, and Edun), and campaign groups such as the ] (CCC) and the ] as well as ] have sought to improve these conditions by sponsoring awareness-raising events, which draw the attention of both the media and the general public to the plight of the workers.
Although modern consumers take clothing for granted, making the fabrics that go into clothing is not easy. One sign of this is that the ] industry was the first to be mechanized during the ]; before the invention of the ], textile production was a tedious and labor-intensive process. Therefore, methods were developed for making most efficient use of textiles.


Outsourcing production to low wage countries such as ], China, India, ], ], and ] became possible when the ] (MFA) was abolished. The MFA, which placed quotas on textiles imports, was deemed a ] measure.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Employment conditions in the clothing manufacturing sector |url=https://pehnavakart.com/employment-conditions-in-the-clothing-manufacturing-sector/ |access-date=2023-04-05 |website=Pehnava Kart |date=5 April 2023 |language=en-US |archive-date=2023-04-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230405163734/https://pehnavakart.com/employment-conditions-in-the-clothing-manufacturing-sector/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Although many countries recognize treaties such as the ], which attempt to set standards for worker safety and rights, many countries have made exceptions to certain parts of the treaties or failed to thoroughly enforce them. India for example has not ratified sections 87 and 92 of the treaty.
One approach simply involves draping the cloth. Many peoples wore, and still wear, garments consisting of rectangles of cloth wrapped to fit &mdash; for example, the ] for men and the ] for women in the ], the Scottish ] or the ] ]. The clothes may simply be tied up, as is the case of the first two garments; or pins or belts hold the garments in place, as in the case of the latter two. The precious cloth remains uncut, and people of various sizes or the same person at different sizes can wear the garment.


The ] has functioned as a consistent industry for developing nations, providing work and wages, whether construed as exploitative or not, to millions of people.<ref>European Parliamentary Research Service. "" ''European Parliament'', Aug. 2014. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200212053033/http://www.europarl.europa.eu/EPRS/140841REV1-Workers-conditions-in-the-textile-and-clothing-sector-just-an-Asian-affair-FINAL.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/http://www.europarl.europa.eu/EPRS/140841REV1-Workers-conditions-in-the-textile-and-clothing-sector-just-an-Asian-affair-FINAL.pdf |archive-date=2022-10-09 |url-status=live |date=2020-02-12 }}</ref>
Another approach involves cutting and sewing the cloth, but using every bit of the cloth rectangle in constructing the clothing. The tailor may cut triangular pieces from one corner of the cloth, and then add them elsewhere as ]. Traditional European patterns for men's ]s and women's ]s take this approach.


===Fur===
Modern European ] treats cloth much more prodigally, typically cutting in such a way as to leave various odd-shaped cloth remnants. Industrial sewing operations sell these as waste; home sewers may turn them into ]s.
{{Main|Fur clothing}}
The use of animal fur in clothing dates to prehistoric times. Currently, although fur is still used by indigenous people in arctic zones and higher elevations for its warmth and protection, in developed countries it is associated with expensive, designer clothing.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Handwerk |first1=Brian |date=2021-09-16 |title=Evidence of Fur and Leather Clothing, Among World's Oldest, Found in Moroccan Cave |url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/evidence-of-fur-and-leather-clothing-among-worlds-oldest-found-in-moroccan-cave-180978689/ |access-date=2022-11-16 |website=] |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Wilcox |first=R. Turner |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0xy5DyFZGUoC |title=The Mode in Furs: A Historical Survey with 680 Illustrations |date=2010-01-01 |publisher=Courier Corporation |isbn=978-0-486-47872-2 |language=ja}}</ref> Once uncontroversial, recently it has been the focus of campaigns on the grounds that campaigners consider it cruel and unnecessary. ] and other ] and ] groups have called attention to ] and other practices they consider cruel.


Real fur in fashion is contentious, with Copenhagen (2022)<ref>{{Cite web |last= |date=2022-08-16 |title=Copenhagen Fashion Week Bans Fur After PETA Protest |url=https://vegconomist.com/fashion-design-and-beauty/copenhagen-fashion-week-bans-fur/ |access-date=2022-11-22 |website=vegconomist |language=en-GB}}</ref> and London (2018)<ref>{{Cite news |date=2018-09-07 |title=London Fashion Week to go fur-free for the first time |language=en-GB |work=] |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/newsbeat-45446028 |access-date=2022-11-22}}</ref> fashion weeks banning real fur in its runway shows following protests and government attention to the issue. Fashion houses such as ] and ] have banned the use of fur in its garments.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kratofil |first=Colleen |title=Luxury Fashion Brands That Are Anti-Fur |url=https://people.com/style/fur-free-luxury-fashion-brands/ |access-date=2022-11-22 |website=] |language=en}}</ref> ] and ] also stopped using fur in their collections in early 2018. In 2020, the outdoor brand ] announced it would discontinue the use of new coyote fur on parka trims following protests.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2021-06-24 |title=Canada Goose to end the use of all fur on coats |language=en-GB |work=] |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/business-57592599 |access-date=2022-11-22}}</ref>
In the thousands of years that humans have spent constructing clothing, they have created an astonishing array of styles, many of which we can reconstruct from surviving garments, ]s, ]s, ]s, etc., as well as from written descriptions. Costume history serves as a source of inspiration to current ]s, as well as a topic of ] interest to costumers constructing for ]s, ]s, ], and ].


Governing bodies have issued legislation banning the sale of new real fur garments. In 2021, Israel was the first government to ban the sale of real fur garments, with the exception of those worn as part of a religious faith.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Hernandez |first=Joe |date=2021-06-14 |title=Israel Has Become The 1st Country To Ban The Sale Of Most Fur Clothing |language=en |work=] |url=https://www.npr.org/2021/06/14/1006279660/israel-has-become-the-first-country-to-ban-the-sale-of-fur-clothing |access-date=2022-11-22}}</ref> In 2019, the state of California banned fur trapping, with a total ban on the sale of all new fur garments except those made of sheep, cow, and rabbit fur going into effect on January 1, 2023.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kaur |first=Harmeet |date=2019-10-13 |title=California becomes the first state to ban fur products |url=https://www.cnn.com/2019/10/13/us/california-bans-fur-products-trnd/index.html |access-date=2022-11-22 |website=] |language=en}}</ref>
:''See also: ] and ].''


== Future trends == ==Life cycle==


===Clothing maintenance===
As technologies change, so will clothing. Many people, including ]s have extrapolated current trends and made the following predictions:
Clothing suffers assault both from within and without. The human body sheds skin cells and body oils, and it exudes sweat, urine, and feces that may soil clothing. From the outside, sun damage, moisture, abrasion, and dirt assault garments. Fleas and lice can hide in seams. If not cleaned and refurbished, clothing becomes worn and loses its ] and functionality (as when ] fall off, seams come undone, fabrics thin or tear, and ]s fail).


Often, people wear an item of clothing until it falls apart. Some materials present problems. Cleaning leather is difficult, and bark cloth (tapa) cannot be washed without dissolving it. Owners may patch tears and rips, and brush off surface dirt, but materials such as these inevitably age.
* Man-made fibers such as ], ], ], ], ], and ] already account for much of the clothing market. Many more types of fibers will certainly be developed, possibly using ]. For example, military uniforms may stiffen when hit by bullets, filter out poisonous chemicals, and treat wounds.


Most clothing consists of cloth, however, and most cloth can be ] and mended (patching, ], but compare ]).
* "Smart" clothing will incorporate electronics. Clothing may incorporate wearable computers, flexible wearable displays (possibly leading to fully animated clothing and some forms of ]s), medical sensors, etc.


=== Laundry, ironing, storage ===
* Present-day ready-to-wear technologies will presumably give way to computer-aided custom manufacturing. Low power laser beams will measure the customer; computers will draw up a custom pattern and execute it in the customer's choice of cloth as well as choice of desirable fit.
], United States]]
Humans have developed many specialized methods for laundering clothing, ranging from early methods of pounding clothes against rocks in running streams, to the latest in electronic ]s and ] (dissolving dirt in ] other than water). Hot water washing (boiling), chemical cleaning, and ironing are all traditional methods of ] fabrics for ] purposes.


Many kinds of clothing are designed to be ] before they are worn to remove wrinkles. Most modern formal and semi-formal clothing is in this category (for example, ]s and ]). Ironed clothes are believed to look clean, fresh, and neat. Much contemporary casual clothing is made of knit materials that do not readily wrinkle, and do not require ironing. Some clothing is ], having been treated with a coating (such as ]) that suppresses wrinkles and creates a smooth appearance without ironing. Excess lint or debris may end up on the clothing in between launderings. In such cases, a ] may be useful.
==Clothing industry==

{{sect-stub}}
Once clothes have been laundered and possibly ironed, usually they are hung on ]s or folded, to keep them fresh until they are worn. Clothes are folded to allow them to be stored compactly, to prevent creasing, to preserve creases, or to present them in a more pleasing manner, for instance, when they are put on sale in stores.
The clothing industry is concentrated outside of western Europe and America, and garment workers often have to labor under poor conditions. Coalitions of ]'s, designers (Katharine Hamnett, ], ], Edun,...) and trade unions like the ] (CCC) seek to improve these conditions as much as possible by sponsoring awareness-raising events, which draw the attention of both the media and the general public to the workers' conditions.

Certain types of insects and larvae feed on clothing and textiles, such as the ] and ]. To deter such pests, clothes may be stored in cedar-lined closets or chests,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bobvila.com/articles/cedar-closets/|title=Cedar Closets 101|date=2017-09-08|website=Bob Vila|language=en|access-date=2019-06-12|archive-date=2019-07-05|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190705082801/https://www.bobvila.com/articles/cedar-closets/|url-status=live}}</ref> or placed in drawers or containers with materials having pest repellent properties, such as ] or ]s. Airtight containers (such as sealed, heavy-duty plastic bags) may deter insect pest damage to clothing materials as well.

===Non-iron===
{{main|Permanent press}}
A resin used for making non-wrinkle shirts releases ], which could cause contact dermatitis for some people; no disclosure requirements exist, and in 2008 the U.S. ] tested formaldehyde in clothing and found that generally the highest levels were in non-wrinkle shirts and pants.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Bernard |first1=Tara Siegel |title=When Wrinkle-Free Clothing Also Means Formaldehyde Fumes |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/11/your-money/11wrinkle.html |work=The New York Times |date=11 December 2010 }}</ref> In 1999, a study of the effect of washing on the formaldehyde levels found that after six months of routine washing, 7 of 27 shirts still had levels in excess of 75 ppm (the safe limit for direct skin exposure).<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Iwama |first1=Masahiko |last2=Nakashima |first2=Shigehito |last3=Aoyama |first3=Taiki |last4=Ohno |first4=Hiroyuki |last5=Suzuki |first5=Masako |last6=Yamamoto |first6=Katsuhiko |title=Changes of Free Formaldehyde Quantity in Non-iron Shirts by Washing and Storage |journal=Journal of Health Science |date=1999 |volume=45 |issue=6 |pages=412–417 |doi=10.1248/jhs.45.412 }}</ref>

===Mending===
When the raw material&nbsp;– cloth&nbsp;– was worth more than labor, it made sense to expend labor in saving it. In past times, mending was an art. A meticulous tailor or ] could mend rips with thread raveled from ]s and seam edges so skillfully that the tear was practically invisible. Today clothing is considered a consumable item. Mass-manufactured clothing is less expensive than the labor required to repair it. Many people buy a new piece of clothing rather than spend time mending. The thrifty still replace ]s and ] and sew up ripped hems, however. Other mending techniques include ] and ] or ] through ] inspired in Japanese ].

===Recycling===
]
It is estimated that 80 billion to 150 billion garments are produced annually.<ref>{{cite news |last=Wicker |first=Alden |date=31 January 2020 |title=Fashion has a misinformation problem |url=https://www.vox.com/the-goods/2020/1/27/21080107/fashion-environment-facts-statistics-impact |work=vox.com |location= |access-date=22 October 2021 |archive-date=22 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211022055652/https://www.vox.com/the-goods/2020/1/27/21080107/fashion-environment-facts-statistics-impact |url-status=live }}</ref> Used, unwearable clothing can be repurposed for ]s, ], ], ]s, and many other household uses. Neutral colored or undyed ] fibers can be recycled into paper. In Western societies, used clothing is often thrown out or donated to charity (such as through a ]). It is also sold to consignment shops, dress agencies, ]s, and in ]s. Also, used clothing often is collected on an industrial scale to be sorted and shipped for re-use in poorer countries. Globally, used clothes are worth $4 billion, with the U.S. as the leading exporter at $575 million.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Minter |first1=Adam |title=No One Wants Your Used Clothes Anymore |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2018-01-15/no-one-wants-your-used-clothes-anymore |access-date=17 January 2018 |work=] |date=15 January 2018 |archive-date=16 January 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180116172151/https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2018-01-15/no-one-wants-your-used-clothes-anymore |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Banigan |first1=Melissa |title=East Africa Doesn't Want Your Hand-Me-Downs |url=https://www.racked.com/2018/1/25/16923226/east-africa-used-clothing-ban |access-date=26 January 2018 |work=Racked |publisher=] |date=25 January 2018 |archive-date=27 January 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180127143144/https://www.racked.com/2018/1/25/16923226/east-africa-used-clothing-ban |url-status=live }}</ref>

Synthetics, which come primarily from petrochemicals, are not renewable or biodegradable.<ref> {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402130021/http://sweatshirtstation.com/articles/the-textile-materials-eco-battle-between-natural-and-synthetic-fabrics/ |date=2015-04-02 }} "Steven E. Davis, Sweatshirt Station".</ref>

Excess inventory of clothing is sometimes destroyed to preserve brand value.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Lieber |first1=Chavie |title=Why fashion brands destroy billions' worth of their own merchandise every year |url=https://www.vox.com/the-goods/2018/9/17/17852294/fashion-brands-burning-merchandise-burberry-nike-h-and-m |access-date=17 September 2018 |work=] |date=17 September 2018 |archive-date=17 September 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180917165052/https://www.vox.com/the-goods/2018/9/17/17852294/fashion-brands-burning-merchandise-burberry-nike-h-and-m |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Global trade==

EU member states imported €166 billion of clothes in 2018; 51% came from outside the EU (€84 billion).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Where do our clothes come from? |url=https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/products-eurostat-news/-/edn-20190422-1 |access-date=2024-01-11 |website=ec.europa.eu |language=fr-FR}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Sabry |first=Fouad |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PdmTEAAAQBAJ&dq=EU+member+states+imported+%E2%82%AC166+billion+of+clothes+in+2018;+51%25+came+from+outside+the+EU+(%E2%82%AC84+billion).&pg=PT81 |title=E-Textiles: Monitor personal health and detect early warning disease signs |date=2022-08-31 |publisher=One Billion Knowledgeable |language=en}}</ref> EU member states exported €116 billion of clothes in 2018, including 77% to other EU member states.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Where do our clothes come from? |url=https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/products-eurostat-news/-/EDN-20190422-1 |access-date=2024-01-11 |website=ec.europa.eu |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=A closer look at clothes and footwear in the EU |url=https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/products-eurostat-news/-/edn-20180227-1 |access-date=2024-01-11 |website=ec.europa.eu |language=en-GB}}</ref>

According to the ] (WTO) report, the value of global clothing exports in 2022 reached US$790.1 billion, up 10.6% from 2021. ] is the world's largest clothing exporter, with a value of US$178.4 billion, accounting for 22.6% of the global market share. Next are ] (US$40.8 billion), ] (US$39.8 billion), ] (US$36.1 billion), and ] (US$29.7 billion).

In ], clothing exports continue to be one of the leading export sectors, contributing significantly to the export turnover and economic growth of the country.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ngành dệt may chuyển đổi để thích ứng |url=https://portal.mof.gov.vn/webcenter/portal/vclvcstc/pages_r/l/chi-tiet-tin?dDocName=MOFUCM260612 |access-date=2024-01-11 |website=portal.mof.gov.vn}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=baochinhphu.vn |date=2022-11-18 |title=Sản phẩm dệt may Việt Nam đã xuất khẩu sang 66 quốc gia |url=https://baochinhphu.vn/san-pham-det-may-viet-nam-da-xuat-khau-sang-66-quoc-gia-102221118170635516.htm |access-date=2024-01-11 |website=baochinhphu.vn |language=vi}}</ref> According to the General Department of Customs of Vietnam, the value of Vietnam's clothing exports in 2022 reached US$39.8 billion, up 14.2% from 2021.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-01-05 |title=Bước tiến dài sau 15 năm gia nhập WTO |url=https://www.tinnhanhchungkhoan.vn/post-288809.html |access-date=2024-01-11 |website=Tin nhanh chứng khoán |language=vi}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-01-11 |title=Báo cáo Xuất nhập khẩu Việt Nam 2018 |url=https://trungtamwto.vn/file/18440/Bao%20cao%20Xuat%20nhap%20khau%20Viet%20Nam%202018.pdf |access-date=2023-01-11}}</ref> Of which, clothing exports to the ] reached US$18.8 billion,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Mỹ tăng nhập khẩu quần áo và dày dép từ Việt Nam |url=https://taichinhdoanhnghiep.net.vn/my-tang-nhap-khau-quan-ao-va-day-dep-tu-viet-nam-d29900.html |access-date=2024-01-11 |website=taichinhdoanhnghiep.net.vn |language=vi}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Công nghiệp hỗ trợ |url=https://vsi.gov.vn/vn/tin-cong-nghiep-ho-tro/xuat-khau-hang-det-may-cua-viet-nam-sang-thi-truong-bac-my-tang-manh-c1id2102.html |access-date=2024-01-11 |website=vsi.gov.vn |archive-date=2024-01-11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240111121153/https://vsi.gov.vn/vn/tin-cong-nghiep-ho-tro/xuat-khau-hang-det-may-cua-viet-nam-sang-thi-truong-bac-my-tang-manh-c1id2102.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> accounting for 47.3% of the market share; exports to the ] reached US$9.8 billion, accounting for 24.6% of the market share.<ref>{{Cite web |last=VCCorp.vn |date=2023-11-07 |title=Kinh tế Việt Nam đang phục hồi mạnh mẽ, đây là loạt chỉ số chứng minh cho điều đó |url=https://cafef.vn/kinh-te-viet-nam-dang-phuc-hoi-manh-me-day-la-loat-chi-so-chung-minh-cho-dieu-do-188231107202529659.chn |access-date=2024-01-11 |website=cafef |language=vi}}</ref>


==See also== ==See also==
{{Portal|Clothing|Fashion}}
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==References==
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{{Reflist}}
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==Further reading==
{{refbegin|30em}}
* {{citation |year=2008 |author=Finnane, Antonia |title=Changing Clothes in China: Fashion, History, Nation |place=New York |publisher=] | isbn = 978-0-231-14350-9 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Ju3N4VeiQ28C |access-date=8 September 2010}} ebook {{ISBN|978-0-231-51273-2}}
* {{citation |year=2007 |author=Forsberg, Krister |author2=Mansdorf, S.Z |title=Quick Selection Guide to Chemical Protective Clothing |edition=5th |place=Hoboken, New Jersey |publisher=] | isbn = 978-0-470-14681-1 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UkA2MK9vXEIC |access-date=8 September 2010}}
* {{citation |doi=10.2165/00007256-200333130-00001 |year=2003 |author=Gavin, Timothy P |title=Clothing and Thermoregulation During Exercise |journal=Sports Medicine |volume=33 |issue=13 |pages=941–947 |url=http://adisonline.com/sportsmedicine/Abstract/2003/33130/Clothing_and_Thermoregulation_During_Exercise.1.aspx |access-date=8 September 2010 |pmid=14606923 |s2cid=37755781 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110707083519/http://adisonline.com/sportsmedicine/Abstract/2003/33130/Clothing_and_Thermoregulation_During_Exercise.1.aspx |archive-date=2011-07-07 |url-status=dead }}
* {{citation |year=1993 |author=Hollander, Anne L |title=Seeing Through Clothes |place=Berkeley|publisher=] | isbn = 0-520-08231-1 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CSItqzbG9nIC |access-date=8 September 2010}}
* {{cite journal |last1=Montain |first1=S. J. |last2=Sawka |first2=M. N. |last3=Cadarette |first3=B. S. |last4=Quigley |first4=M. D. |last5=McKay |first5=J. M. |title=Physiological tolerance to uncompensable heat stress: effects of exercise intensity, protective clothing, and climate |journal=Journal of Applied Physiology |date=July 1994 |volume=77 |issue=1 |pages=216–222 |doi=10.1152/jappl.1994.77.1.216 |pmid=7961236 }}
* {{citation |year=2008 |author=Ross, Robert |title=Clothing, a Global History: or, The Imperialist's New Clothes |place=Cambridge, UK |publisher=] | isbn = 978-0-7456-3186-8 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=e7LZe4b18ScC |access-date=8 September 2010}} Paperback {{ISBN|978-0-7456-3187-5}}
* {{cite book |doi=10.1016/S1572-347X(05)80050-3 |chapter=The four 'Fs' of clothing comfort |title=Environmental Ergonomics - the Ergonomics of Human Comfort, Health and Performance in the Thermal Environment |series=Elsevier Ergonomics Book Series |date=2005 |last1=Goldman |first1=Ralph F. |volume=3 |pages=315–319 |isbn=978-0-08-044466-6 }}
* {{cite book |last1=Yarborough |first1=Portia Dalecene |last2=Nelson |first2=Cherilyn N. |title=Performance of Protective Clothing: Global Needs and Emerging Markets : 8th Symposium |date=2005 |publisher=ASTM International |isbn=978-0-8031-3488-1 }}
{{refend}}


==External links== ==External links==
{{Sister project links|clothing}}
{{wikiquote}}
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* of the Textile and Apparel Association – scholarly publications (archived 16 February 2008)


{{Historical clothing}}
{{Clothing}}
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Latest revision as of 10:36, 31 December 2024

Objects worn to cover the body "Outfit" redirects here. For other uses, see Outfit (disambiguation). "Garment" redirects here. For other uses, see Garment (disambiguation). "Clothes" redirects here. For the films, see Clothes (1914 film) and Clothes (1920 film).
Clothing in history, showing (from top) Egyptians, Ancient Greeks, Romans; Byzantines, Franks; and thirteenth through fifteenth century Europeans
A kanga, worn throughout the African Great Lakes region

Clothing (also known as clothes, garments, dress, apparel, or attire) is any item worn on the body. Typically, clothing is made of fabrics or textiles, but over time it has included garments made from animal skin and other thin sheets of materials and natural products found in the environment, put together. The wearing of clothing is mostly restricted to human beings and is a feature of all human societies. The amount and type of clothing worn depends on gender, body type, social factors, and geographic considerations. Garments cover the body, footwear covers the feet, gloves cover the hands, while hats and headgear cover the head, and underwear covers the private parts.

Clothing serves many purposes: it can serve as protection from the elements, rough surfaces, sharp stones, rash-causing plants, and insect bites, by providing a barrier between the skin and the environment. Clothing can insulate against cold or hot conditions, and it can provide a hygienic barrier, keeping infectious and toxic materials away from the body. It can protect feet from injury and discomfort or facilitate navigation in varied environments. Clothing also provides protection from ultraviolet radiation. It may be used to prevent glare or increase visual acuity in harsh environments, such as brimmed hats. Clothing is used for protection against injury in specific tasks and occupations, sports, and warfare. Fashioned with pockets, belts, or loops, clothing may provide a means to carry things while freeing the hands.

Clothing has significant social factors as well. Wearing clothes is a variable social norm. It may connote modesty. Being deprived of clothing in front of others may be embarrassing. In many parts of the world, not wearing clothes in public so that genitals, breast, or buttocks are visible could be considered indecent exposure. Pubic area or genital coverage is the most frequently encountered minimum found cross-culturally and regardless of climate, implying social convention as the basis of customs. Clothing also may be used to communicate social status, wealth, group identity, and individualism.

Some forms of personal protective equipment amount to clothing, such as coveralls, chaps or a doctor's white coat, with similar requirements for maintenance and cleaning as other textiles (boxing gloves function both as protective equipment and as a sparring weapon, so the equipment aspect rises above the glove aspect). More specialized forms of protective equipment, such as face shields are classified as protective accessories. At the far extreme, self-enclosing diving suits or space suits are form-fitting body covers, and amount to a form of dress, without being clothing per se, while containing enough high technology to amount to more of a tool than a garment. This line will continue to blur as wearable technology embeds assistive devices directly into the fabric itself; the enabling innovations are ultra low power consumption and flexible electronic substrates.

Clothing also hybridizes into a personal transportation system (ice skates, roller skates, cargo pants, other outdoor survival gear, one-man band) or concealment system (stage magicians, hidden linings or pockets in tradecraft, integrated holsters for concealed carry, merchandise-laden trench coats on the black market — where the purpose of the clothing often carries over into disguise). A mode of dress fit to purpose, whether stylistic or functional, is known as an outfit or ensemble.

Origin and history

Main article: History of clothing and textiles See also: History of Western fashion, Category:History of clothing, and Evolution of hair

Early use

Estimates of when humans began wearing clothes vary from 40,000 to as many as 3 million years ago, but recent studies suggest humans were wearing clothing at least 100,000 years ago.

Recent studies by Ralf Kittler, Manfred Kayser and Mark Stoneking—anthropologists at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology—have attempted to constrain the most recent date of the introduction of clothing with an indirect method relying on lice. The rationale for this method of dating stems from the fact that the human body louse cannot live outside of clothing, dying after only a few hours without shelter. This strongly implies that the date of the body louse's speciation from its parent, Pediculus humanus, can have taken place no earlier than the earliest human adoption of clothing. This date, at which the body louse (P. humanus corporis) diverged from both its parent species and its sibling subspecies, the head louse (P. humanus capitis), can be determined by the number of mutations each has developed during the intervening time. Such mutations occur at a known rate and the date of last-common-ancestor for two species can therefore be estimated from their frequency. These studies have produced dates from 40,000 to 170,000 years ago, with a greatest likelihood of speciation lying at about 107,000 years ago.

Kittler, Kayser and Stoneking suggest that the invention of clothing may have coincided with the northward migration of modern Homo sapiens away from the warm climate of Africa, which is thought to have begun between 100,000 and 50,000 years ago. A second group of researchers, also relying on the genetic clock, estimate that clothing originated between 30,000 and 114,000 years ago.

Dating with direct archeological evidence produces dates consistent with those of lice. In September 2021, scientists reported evidence of clothes being made 120,000 years ago based on findings in deposits in Morocco.

The development of clothing is deeply connected to human evolution, with early garments likely consisting of animal skins and natural fibers adapted for protection and social signaling. According to anthropologists and archaeologists, the earliest clothing likely consisted of fur, leather, leaves, or grass that was draped, wrapped, or tied around the body. Knowledge of such clothing remains inferential, as clothing materials deteriorate quickly compared with stone, bone, shell, and metal artifacts. Archeologists have identified very early sewing needles of bone and ivory from about 30,000 BC, found near Kostenki, Russia in 1988, and in 2016 a needle at least 50,000 years old from Denisova Cave in Siberia made by Denisovans. Dyed flax fibers that date back to 34,000 BC and could have been used in clothing have been found in a prehistoric cave in Georgia.

Making clothing

See also: Clothing industry, knitting, and weaving

Several distinct human cultures, including those residing in the Arctic Circle, have historically crafted their garments exclusively from treated and adorned animal furs and skins. In contrast, numerous other societies have complemented or substituted leather and skins with textiles woven, knitted, or twined from a diverse array of animal and plant fibers, such as wool, linen, cotton, silk, hemp, and ramie.

Sari
Hindu lady wearing sari, one of the most ancient and popular pieces of clothing in the Indian subcontinent, painting by Raja Ravi Varma

Although modern consumers may take the production of clothing for granted, making fabric by hand is a tedious and labor-intensive process involving fiber making, spinning, and weaving. The textile industry was the first to be mechanized – with the powered loom – during the Industrial Revolution.

Different cultures have evolved various ways of creating clothes out of cloth. One approach involves draping the cloth. Many people wore, and still wear, garments consisting of rectangles of cloth wrapped to fit – for example, the dhoti for men and the sari for women in the Indian subcontinent, the Scottish kilt, and the Javanese sarong. The clothes may be tied up (dhoti and sari) or implement pins or belts to hold the garments in place (kilt and sarong). The cloth remains uncut, and people of various sizes can wear the garment.

Another approach involves measuring, cutting, and sewing the cloth by hand or with a sewing machine. Clothing can be cut from a sewing pattern and adjusted by a tailor to the wearer's measurements. An adjustable sewing mannequin or dress form is used to create form-fitting clothing. If the fabric is expensive, the tailor tries to use every bit of the cloth rectangle in constructing the clothing; perhaps cutting triangular pieces from one corner of the cloth, and adding them elsewhere as gussets. Traditional European patterns for shirts and chemises take this approach. These remnants can also be reused to make patchwork pockets, hats, vests, and skirts.

Modern European fashion treats cloth much less conservatively, typically cutting in such a way as to leave various odd-shaped cloth remnants. Industrial sewing operations sell these as waste; domestic sewers may turn them into quilts.

In the thousands of years that humans have been making clothing, they have created an astonishing array of styles, many of which have been reconstructed from surviving garments, photographs, paintings, mosaics, etc., as well as from written descriptions. Costume history can inspire current fashion designers, as well as costumiers for plays, films, television, and historical reenactment.

Clothing as comfort

A young woman wearing t-shirt and shorts at the warm summer in Åland

Comfort is related to various perceptions, physiological, social, and psychological needs, and after food, it is clothing that satisfies these comfort needs. Clothing provides aesthetic, tactile, thermal, moisture, and pressure comfort.

Aesthetic comfort
Visual perception is influenced by color, fabric construction, style, garment fit, fashion compatibility, and finish of clothing material. Aesthetic comfort is necessary for psychological and social comfort.
Thermoregulation and thermophysiological comfort
Thermophysiological comfort is the capacity of the clothing material that makes the balance of moisture and heat between the body and the environment. It is a property of textile materials that creates ease by maintaining moisture and thermal levels in a human's resting and active states. The selection of textile material significantly affects the comfort of the wearer. Different textile fibers have unique properties that make them suitable for use in various environments. Natural fibers are breathable and absorb moisture, and synthetic fibers are hydrophobic; they repel moisture and do not allow air to pass. :: Different environments demand a diverse selection of clothing materials. Hence, the appropriate choice is important. The major determinants that influence thermophysiological comfort are permeable construction, heat, and moisture transfer rate.
Thermal comfort
One primary criterion for our physiological needs is thermal comfort. The heat dissipation effectiveness of clothing gives the wearer a neither very hot nor very cold feel. The optimum temperature for thermal comfort of the skin surface is between 28 and 30 °C (82 and 86 °F), i.e., a neutral temperature. Thermophysiology reacts whenever the temperature falls below or exceeds the neutral point on either side; it is discomforting below 28 and above 30 degrees. Clothing maintains a thermal balance; it keeps the skin dry and cool. It helps to keep the body from overheating while avoiding heat from the environment.
Moisture comfort
Moisture comfort is the prevention of a damp sensation. According to Hollies' research, it feels uncomfortable when more than "50% to 65% of the body is wet."
Tactile comfort
Tactile comfort is a resistance to the discomfort related to the friction created by clothing against the body. It is related to the smoothness, roughness, softness, and stiffness of the fabric used in clothing. The degree of tactile discomfort may vary between individuals, which is possible due to various factors including allergies, tickling, prickling, skin abrasion, coolness, and the fabric's weight, structure, and thickness. There are specific surface finishes (mechanical and chemical) that can enhance tactile comfort. Fleece sweatshirts and velvet clothing, for example. Soft, clingy, stiff, heavy, light, hard, sticky, scratchy, prickly are all terms used to describe tactile sensations.
Pressure comfort
The comfort of the human body's pressure receptors' (present in the skin) sensory response towards clothing. Fabric with lycra feels more comfortable because of this response and superior pressure comfort. The sensation response is influenced by the material's structure: snugging, looseness, heavy, light, soft, or stiff structuring.

Functions

A baby wearing many items of winter clothing: headband, cap, fur-lined coat, scarf, and sweater

The most obvious function of clothing is to protect the wearer from the elements. It serves to prevent wind damage and provides protection from sunburn. In the cold, it offers thermal insulation. Shelter can reduce the functional need for clothing. For example, coats, hats, gloves, and other outer layers are normally removed when entering a warm place. Similarly, clothing has seasonal and regional aspects so that thinner materials and fewer layers of clothing generally are worn in warmer regions and seasons than in colder ones. Boots, hats, jackets, ponchos, and coats designed to protect from rain and snow are specialized clothing items.

Clothing has been made from a wide variety of materials, ranging from leather and furs to woven fabrics, to elaborate and exotic natural and synthetic fabrics. Not all body coverings are regarded as clothing. Articles carried rather than worn normally are considered accessories rather than clothing (such as Handbags), items worn on a single part of the body and easily removed (scarves), worn purely for adornment (jewelry), or items that do not serve a protective function. For instance, corrective eyeglasses, Arctic goggles, and sunglasses would not be considered an accessory because of their protective functions.

Clothing protects against many things that might injure or irritate the naked human body, including rain, snow, wind, and other weather, as well as from the sun. Garments that are too sheer, thin, small, or tight offer less protection. Appropriate clothes can also reduce risk during activities such as work or sport. Some clothing protects from specific hazards, such as insects, toxic chemicals, weather, weapons, and contact with abrasive substances.

Humans have devised clothing solutions to environmental or other hazards: such as space suits, armor, diving suits, swimsuits, bee-keeper gear, motorcycle leathers, high-visibility clothing, and other pieces of protective clothing. The distinction between clothing and protective equipment is not always clear-cut since clothes designed to be fashionable often have protective value, and clothes designed for function often have corporate fashion in their design.

The choice of clothes also has social implications. They cover parts of the body that social norms require to be covered, act as a form of adornment, and serve other social purposes. Someone who lacks the means to procure appropriate clothing due to poverty or affordability, or lack of inclination, sometimes is said to be worn, ragged, or shabby.

Clothing performs a range of social and cultural functions, such as individual, occupational, gender differentiation, and social status. In many societies, norms about clothing reflect standards of modesty, religion, gender, and social status. Clothing may also function as adornment and an expression of personal taste or style.

Scholarship

Function of clothing

"The Real and Its Ideal", 1898 illustration by E. J. Sullivan for Thomas Carlyle's Sartor Resartus (1833–34)

Serious books on clothing and its functions appear from the nineteenth century as European colonial powers interacted with new environments such as tropical ones in Asia. Some scientific research into the multiple functions of clothing in the first half of the twentieth century, with publications such as J.C. Flügel's Psychology of Clothes in 1930, and Newburgh's seminal Physiology of Heat Regulation and The Science of Clothing in 1949. By 1968, the field of Environmental Physiology had advanced and expanded significantly, but the science of clothing in relation to environmental physiology had changed little. There has since been considerable research, and the knowledge base has grown significantly, but the main concepts remain unchanged, and indeed, Newburgh's book continues to be cited by contemporary authors, including those attempting to develop thermoregulatory models of clothing development.

History of clothing

Clothing of the Napir Asu held in Louvre museum, c. 1300 BC

Clothing reveals much about human history. According to Professor Kiki Smith of Smith College, garments preserved in collections are resources for study similar to books and paintings. Scholars around the world have studied a wide range of clothing topics, including the history of specific items of clothing, clothing styles in different cultural groups, and the business of clothing and fashion. The textile curator Linda Baumgarten writes that "clothing provides a remarkable picture of the daily lives, beliefs, expectations, and hopes of those who lived in the past.

Clothing presents a number of challenges to historians. Clothing made of textiles or skins is subject to decay, and the erosion of physical integrity may be seen as a loss of cultural information. Costume collections often focus on important pieces of clothing considered unique or otherwise significant, limiting the opportunities scholars have to study everyday clothing.

Cultural aspects

Clothing has long served as a marker of social status, gender, and cultural identity, reflecting broader societal structures and values.

Gender differentiation

Men and women gathered at sporting event in Sweden (1938)

In most cultures, gender differentiation of clothing is considered appropriate. The differences are in styles, colors, fabrics, and types.

In contemporary Western societies, skirts, dresses, and high-heeled shoes are usually seen as women's clothing, while neckties usually are seen as men's clothing. Trousers were once seen as exclusively men's clothing, but nowadays are worn by both genders. Men's clothes are often more practical (that is, they can function well under a wide variety of situations), but a wider range of clothing styles is available for women. Typically, men are allowed to bare their chests in a greater variety of public places. It is generally common for a woman to wear clothing perceived as masculine, while the opposite is seen as unusual. Contemporary men may sometimes choose to wear men's skirts such as togas or kilts in particular cultures, especially on ceremonial occasions. In previous times, such garments often were worn as normal daily clothing by men.

In some cultures, sumptuary laws regulate what men and women are required to wear. Islam requires women to wear certain forms of attire, usually hijab. What items required varies in different Muslim societies; however, women are usually required to cover more of their bodies than men. Articles of clothing Muslim women wear under these laws or traditions range from the head-scarf to the burqa.

Some contemporary clothing styles designed to be worn by either gender, such as T-shirts, have started out as menswear, but some articles, such as the fedora, originally were a style for women.

Social status

During the early modern period, individuals utilized their attire as a significant method of conveying and asserting their social status. Individuals employed the utilization of high-quality fabrics and trendy designs as a means of communicating their wealth and social standing, as well as an indication of their knowledge and understanding of current fashion trends to the general public. As a result, clothing played a significant role in making the social hierarchy perceptible to all members of society.

In some societies, clothing may be used to indicate rank or status. In ancient Rome, for example, only senators could wear garments dyed with Tyrian purple. In traditional Hawaiian society, only high-ranking chiefs could wear feather cloaks and palaoa, or carved whale teeth. In China, before establishment of the republic, only the emperor could wear yellow. History provides many examples of elaborate sumptuary laws that regulated what people could wear. In societies without such laws, which includes most modern societies, social status is signaled by the purchase of rare or luxury items that are limited by cost to those with wealth or status. In addition, peer pressure influences clothing choice.

Religion

Main article: Religious clothing

Some religious clothing might be considered a special case of occupational clothing. Sometimes it is worn only during the performance of religious ceremonies. However, it may be worn every day as a marker for special religious status. Sikhs wear a turban as it is a part of their religion.

In some religions such as Hinduism, Sikhism, Buddhism, and Jainism the cleanliness of religious dresses is of paramount importance and considered to indicate purity. Jewish ritual requires rending (tearing) of one's upper garment as a sign of mourning. The Quran says about husbands and wives, regarding clothing: "...They are clothing/covering (Libaas) for you; and you for them" (chapter 2:187). Christian clergy members wear religious vestments during liturgical services and may wear specific non-liturgical clothing at other times.

Clothing appears in numerous contexts in the Bible. The most prominent passages are: the story of Adam and Eve who made coverings for themselves out of fig leaves, Joseph's coat of many colors, and the clothing of Judah and Tamar, Mordecai and Esther. Furthermore, the priests officiating in the Temple in Jerusalem had very specific garments, the lack of which made one liable to death.

Contemporary clothing

Part of a series on
Western dress codes
and corresponding attires
Formal (full dress)
Semi-formal (half dress)
Informal (undress, "dress clothes")
Casual (anything not above)
Supplementary alternatives
Legend:

= Day (before 6 p.m.)
= Evening (after 6 p.m.)
    = Bow tie colour
= Ladies
= Gentlemen


Fashion portal

Western dress code

The Western dress code has changed over the past 500+ years. The mechanization of the textile industry made many varieties of cloth widely available at affordable prices. Styles have changed, and the availability of synthetic fabrics has changed the definition of what is "stylish". In the latter half of the twentieth century, blue jeans became very popular, and are now worn to events that normally demand formal attire. Activewear has also become a large and growing market.

Jacket by Guy Laroche, from a woman's suit with a black skirt and blouse (1960)

In the Western dress code, jeans are worn by both men and women. There are several unique styles of jeans found that include: high rise jeans, mid rise jeans, low rise jeans, bootcut jeans, straight jeans, cropped jeans, skinny jeans, cuffed jeans, boyfriend jeans, and capri jeans.

The licensing of designer names was pioneered by designers such as Pierre Cardin, Yves Saint Laurent, and Guy Laroche in the 1960s and has been a common practice within the fashion industry from about the 1970s. Among the more popular include Marc Jacobs and Gucci, named for Marc Jacobs Guccio Gucci respectively.

Spread of western styles

University students in casual clothes in the U.S.

By the early years of the twenty-first century, western clothing styles had, to some extent, become international styles. This process began hundreds of years earlier, during the periods of European colonialism. The process of cultural dissemination has been perpetuated over the centuries, spreading Western culture and styles, most recently as Western media corporations have penetrated markets throughout the world. Fast fashion clothing has also become a global phenomenon. These garments are less expensive, mass-produced Western clothing. Also, donated used clothing from Western countries is delivered to people in poor countries by charity organizations.

Ethnic and cultural heritage

People may wear ethnic or national dress on special occasions or in certain roles or occupations. For example, most Korean men and women have adopted Western-style dress for daily wear, but still wear traditional hanboks on special occasions, such as weddings and cultural holidays. Also, items of Western dress may be worn or accessorized in distinctive, non-Western ways. A Tongan man may combine a used T-shirt with a Tongan wrapped skirt, or tupenu.

Sport and activity

Main articles: Sportswear and Sportswear (fashion)
A woman wearing sports bra and boyshorts, conventionally women's sportswear, but now worn as casuals or athleisure by women in the West

For practical, comfort or safety reasons, most sports and physical activities are practised wearing special clothing. Common sportswear garments include shorts, T-shirts, tennis shirts, leotards, tracksuits, and trainers. Specialized garments include wet suits (for swimming, diving, or surfing), salopettes (for skiing), and leotards (for gymnastics). Also, spandex materials often are used as base layers to soak up sweat. Spandex is preferable for active sports that require form fitting garments, such as volleyball, wrestling, track and field, dance, gymnastics, and swimming.

Fashion shows often are the source of the latest trends in clothing/ fashions. Photograph of a model in a modern gown reflecting the current fashion trend at an Haute couture fashion show

Fashion

Main articles: Fashion and 2020s in fashion

Paris set the 1900–1940 fashion trends for Europe and North America. In the 1920s the goal was all about getting loose. Women wore dresses all day, every day. Day dresses had a drop waist, which was a sash or belt around the low waist or hip and a skirt that hung anywhere from the ankle on up to the knee, never above. Day wear had sleeves (long to mid-bicep) and a skirt that was straight, pleated, hank hemmed, or tiered. Jewelry was not conspicuous. Hair was often bobbed, giving a boyish look.

In the early twenty-first century a diverse range of styles exists in fashion, varying by geography, exposure to modern media, economic conditions, and ranging from expensive haute couture, to traditional garb, to thrift store grunge. Fashion shows are events for designers to show off new and often extravagant designs.

Political issues

Working conditions in the garments industry

Further information: Clothing industry
Garments factory in Bangladesh
Safety garb for women was designed to prevent occupational accidents among war workers, Los Angeles display (c. 1943).

Although mechanization transformed most aspects of human clothing industry, by the mid-twentieth century, garment workers have continued to labor under challenging conditions that demand repetitive manual labor. Often, mass-produced clothing is made in what are considered by some to be sweatshops, typified by long work hours, lack of benefits, and lack of worker representation. While most examples of such conditions are found in developing countries, clothes made in industrialized nations may also be manufactured under similar conditions.

Coalitions of NGOs, designers (including Katharine Hamnett, American Apparel, Veja, Quiksilver, eVocal, and Edun), and campaign groups such as the Clean Clothes Campaign (CCC) and the Institute for Global Labour and Human Rights as well as textile and clothing trade unions have sought to improve these conditions by sponsoring awareness-raising events, which draw the attention of both the media and the general public to the plight of the workers.

Outsourcing production to low wage countries such as Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka became possible when the Multi Fibre Agreement (MFA) was abolished. The MFA, which placed quotas on textiles imports, was deemed a protectionist measure. Although many countries recognize treaties such as the International Labour Organization, which attempt to set standards for worker safety and rights, many countries have made exceptions to certain parts of the treaties or failed to thoroughly enforce them. India for example has not ratified sections 87 and 92 of the treaty.

The production of textiles has functioned as a consistent industry for developing nations, providing work and wages, whether construed as exploitative or not, to millions of people.

Fur

Main article: Fur clothing

The use of animal fur in clothing dates to prehistoric times. Currently, although fur is still used by indigenous people in arctic zones and higher elevations for its warmth and protection, in developed countries it is associated with expensive, designer clothing. Once uncontroversial, recently it has been the focus of campaigns on the grounds that campaigners consider it cruel and unnecessary. PETA and other animal and animal liberation groups have called attention to fur farming and other practices they consider cruel.

Real fur in fashion is contentious, with Copenhagen (2022) and London (2018) fashion weeks banning real fur in its runway shows following protests and government attention to the issue. Fashion houses such as Gucci and Chanel have banned the use of fur in its garments. Versace and Furla also stopped using fur in their collections in early 2018. In 2020, the outdoor brand Canada Goose announced it would discontinue the use of new coyote fur on parka trims following protests.

Governing bodies have issued legislation banning the sale of new real fur garments. In 2021, Israel was the first government to ban the sale of real fur garments, with the exception of those worn as part of a religious faith. In 2019, the state of California banned fur trapping, with a total ban on the sale of all new fur garments except those made of sheep, cow, and rabbit fur going into effect on January 1, 2023.

Life cycle

Clothing maintenance

Clothing suffers assault both from within and without. The human body sheds skin cells and body oils, and it exudes sweat, urine, and feces that may soil clothing. From the outside, sun damage, moisture, abrasion, and dirt assault garments. Fleas and lice can hide in seams. If not cleaned and refurbished, clothing becomes worn and loses its aesthetics and functionality (as when buttons fall off, seams come undone, fabrics thin or tear, and zippers fail).

Often, people wear an item of clothing until it falls apart. Some materials present problems. Cleaning leather is difficult, and bark cloth (tapa) cannot be washed without dissolving it. Owners may patch tears and rips, and brush off surface dirt, but materials such as these inevitably age.

Most clothing consists of cloth, however, and most cloth can be laundered and mended (patching, darning, but compare felt).

Laundry, ironing, storage

Laundromat in Walden, New York, United States

Humans have developed many specialized methods for laundering clothing, ranging from early methods of pounding clothes against rocks in running streams, to the latest in electronic washing machines and dry cleaning (dissolving dirt in solvents other than water). Hot water washing (boiling), chemical cleaning, and ironing are all traditional methods of sterilizing fabrics for hygiene purposes.

Many kinds of clothing are designed to be ironed before they are worn to remove wrinkles. Most modern formal and semi-formal clothing is in this category (for example, dress shirts and suits). Ironed clothes are believed to look clean, fresh, and neat. Much contemporary casual clothing is made of knit materials that do not readily wrinkle, and do not require ironing. Some clothing is permanent press, having been treated with a coating (such as polytetrafluoroethylene) that suppresses wrinkles and creates a smooth appearance without ironing. Excess lint or debris may end up on the clothing in between launderings. In such cases, a lint remover may be useful.

Once clothes have been laundered and possibly ironed, usually they are hung on clothes hangers or folded, to keep them fresh until they are worn. Clothes are folded to allow them to be stored compactly, to prevent creasing, to preserve creases, or to present them in a more pleasing manner, for instance, when they are put on sale in stores.

Certain types of insects and larvae feed on clothing and textiles, such as the black carpet beetle and clothing moths. To deter such pests, clothes may be stored in cedar-lined closets or chests, or placed in drawers or containers with materials having pest repellent properties, such as lavender or mothballs. Airtight containers (such as sealed, heavy-duty plastic bags) may deter insect pest damage to clothing materials as well.

Non-iron

Main article: Permanent press

A resin used for making non-wrinkle shirts releases formaldehyde, which could cause contact dermatitis for some people; no disclosure requirements exist, and in 2008 the U.S. Government Accountability Office tested formaldehyde in clothing and found that generally the highest levels were in non-wrinkle shirts and pants. In 1999, a study of the effect of washing on the formaldehyde levels found that after six months of routine washing, 7 of 27 shirts still had levels in excess of 75 ppm (the safe limit for direct skin exposure).

Mending

When the raw material – cloth – was worth more than labor, it made sense to expend labor in saving it. In past times, mending was an art. A meticulous tailor or seamstress could mend rips with thread raveled from hems and seam edges so skillfully that the tear was practically invisible. Today clothing is considered a consumable item. Mass-manufactured clothing is less expensive than the labor required to repair it. Many people buy a new piece of clothing rather than spend time mending. The thrifty still replace zippers and buttons and sew up ripped hems, however. Other mending techniques include darning and invisible mending or upcycling through visible mending inspired in Japanese Sashiko.

Recycling

Clothing salvage centre at the General Engineering Company (Canada) munitions factory during the Second World War

It is estimated that 80 billion to 150 billion garments are produced annually. Used, unwearable clothing can be repurposed for quilts, rags, rugs, bandages, and many other household uses. Neutral colored or undyed cellulose fibers can be recycled into paper. In Western societies, used clothing is often thrown out or donated to charity (such as through a clothing bin). It is also sold to consignment shops, dress agencies, flea markets, and in online auctions. Also, used clothing often is collected on an industrial scale to be sorted and shipped for re-use in poorer countries. Globally, used clothes are worth $4 billion, with the U.S. as the leading exporter at $575 million.

Synthetics, which come primarily from petrochemicals, are not renewable or biodegradable.

Excess inventory of clothing is sometimes destroyed to preserve brand value.

Global trade

EU member states imported €166 billion of clothes in 2018; 51% came from outside the EU (€84 billion). EU member states exported €116 billion of clothes in 2018, including 77% to other EU member states.

According to the World Trade Organization (WTO) report, the value of global clothing exports in 2022 reached US$790.1 billion, up 10.6% from 2021. China is the world's largest clothing exporter, with a value of US$178.4 billion, accounting for 22.6% of the global market share. Next are Bangladesh (US$40.8 billion), Vietnam (US$39.8 billion), India (US$36.1 billion), and Turkey (US$29.7 billion).

In Vietnam, clothing exports continue to be one of the leading export sectors, contributing significantly to the export turnover and economic growth of the country. According to the General Department of Customs of Vietnam, the value of Vietnam's clothing exports in 2022 reached US$39.8 billion, up 14.2% from 2021. Of which, clothing exports to the United States reached US$18.8 billion, accounting for 47.3% of the market share; exports to the EU reached US$9.8 billion, accounting for 24.6% of the market share.

See also

References

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Further reading

External links

  • Official website of the Textile and Apparel Association – scholarly publications (archived 16 February 2008)
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