Clothing

Coalitions of NGO's and trade unions like the Clean clothes campaign (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' plight. The following types of crochet are derived from the basic method:. The clothing industry is concentrated outside of western Europe and America, and garment workers often have to labor under poor conditions. Although crochet underwent a subsequent decline in popularity, it has recently benefited from a revival of interest in handcrafts among the younger generation, as well as great strides in improvement of the quality and varieties of yarn. As technologies change, so will clothing. Often using granny squares, a motif worked in the round, and incorporating bright colors, these designs became indicative of the era. Costume history serves as a source of inspiration to current fashion designers, as well as a topic of professional interest to costumers constructing for plays, films, television, and historical reenactment. The craft remained primarily a homemaker's art until the late 1960s when the younger generation picked up on crochet.

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, photos, paintings, mosaics, etc., as well as from written descriptions. Modern practice In the 1950s, crocheters began to use thicker yarns to create less delicate clothing and home items, though thread crocheting remained more popular until about 1960. Industrial sewing operations sell these as waste; home sewers may turn them into quilts. Mass-produced steel hooks were used to work the thread beginning in about 1900. Modern European fashion treats cloth much more prodigally, typically cutting in such a way as to leave various odd-shaped cloth remnants. Crochet in the round or filet crochet, worked in rows of 'open' or 'closed' mesh to create patterns, were most common. Traditional European patterns for men's shirts and women's chemises take this approach. From 1800 to 1950, crochet was done almost exclusively in thread.

The tailor may cut triangular pieces from one corner of the cloth, and then add them elsewhere as gussets. Riego de la Branchardiere around 1845 who published patterns and instructions for reproducing bobbin lace and needle lace via crochet. Another approach involves cutting and sewing the cloth, but using every bit of the cloth rectangle in constructing the clothing. Irish crochet lace was boosted by Mlle. The precious cloth remains uncut, and people of various sizes can wear the garment. This impression was partially mitigated by Queen Victoria, who conspicuously purchased Irish-made crochet lace and even learned to crochet herself. Pins or belts hold the garments in place. Those who could afford lace made by older and more expensive methods disdained crochet as a cheap copy.

Many peoples wore, and still wear, garments consisting of rectangles of cloth wrapped to fit — for example, the Scottish kilt or the Javanese sarong. The introduction of crochet as an imitation of a status symbol, rather than a unique craft in its own right, had stigmatized the practice as common. One approach simply involves draping the cloth. The finished items were purchased mainly by the emerging middle class. Therefore, methods were developed for making most efficient use of textiles. Around the world, crochet became a thriving cottage industry, supporting communities whose traditional livelihoods had been displaced by imperialism. One sign of this is that the textile industry was the first to be mechanized during the Industrial Revolution; before the invention of the powered loom, textile production was a tedious and labor-intensive process. Those that survive to this day are often ornately carved or inlaid with mother-of-pearl.

Although modern consumers take clothing for granted, making the fabrics that go into clothing is not easy. At this time, thread spun from natural fibers was used without dyeing, and worked with handmade hooks of ivory, brass, or hardwood. See weaving, knitting, and twining. It required minimal equipment and supplies, all easily accessible to persons of all social classes. Other cultures have supplemented or replaced leather and skins with cloth: woven, knitted, or twined from various animal and vegetable fibres. Beginning in the 1800s in Europe, crochet began to be used as a less costly substitute for other forms of lace. Some human cultures, such as the various peoples of the Arctic Circle, until recently made their clothing entirely of furs and skins, cutting clothing to fit and decorating lavishly. These writers point to the tambour hooks used in tambour embroidery in France in the seventeenth century, and contend that the hooking of loops through fine fabric in tambour work evolved into "crochet in the air." Most samples of early work claimed to be crochet turn out to actually be samples of naalebinding.

Its invention may have coincided with the spread of modern Homo sapiens from the warm climate of Africa, thought to have begun between 50,000 and 100,000 years ago. Other writers point out that woven, knit and knotted textiles survive from very early periods, but that there are no surviving samples of crocheted fabric in any ethnological collection, or archeological source prior to 1800. 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. These writers point to the "simplicity" of the technique and claim that it "must" have been early. Ralf Kittler, Manfred Kayser and Mark Stoneking, anthropologists at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, have conducted a genetic analysis of human body lice that indicates that they originated not more than about 72,000 +/- 42,000 years ago. Many find it likely that crochet was in fact used by early cultures but that a bent forefinger was used in place of a fashioned hook; therefore, there were no artifacts left behind to attest to the practice. Archeologists have identified very early sewing needles of bone and ivory from about 30,000 BC, found near Kostenki, Russia, in 1988. Some theorize that crochet evolved from traditional practices in Arabia, South America, or China, but there is no decisive evidence of the craft being performed before its popularity in Europe during the 1800s.

Knowledge of such clothing remains inferential, since clothing materials deteriorate quickly compared to stone, bone, shell and metal artifacts. . According to archaeologists and anthropologists, the earliest clothing probably consisted of fur, leather, leaves or grass, draped, wrapped or tied about the body for protection from the elements. This method distinguishes crochet from other methods of fabric-making such as knitting, as it is composed entirely of loops made with a single hook and is only secured when the free end of the strand is pulled through the final loop. It comes in many varieties, from expensive haute couture to thrift store grunge. Stitches are made by pulling one or more loops through each loop of the chain. Western fashion, too, does not function monolithically. Rounds can also be created by working many stitches into a single loop.

A Tongan man may combine a used T-shirt with a Tongan wrapped skirt, or tupenu. The chain is either turned and worked in rows, or joined end-to-end and worked in rounds. Items of Western dress may also appear worn or accessorized in distinctive, non-Western ways.
Crocheted fabric in the modern sense is begun by placing a slip-knot loop on the hook, pulling another loop through the first loop, and so on to create a chain. For example, most Japanese women have adopted Western-style dress for daily wear, but will still wear expensive silk kimonos on special occasions. The word is not to be confused with "crotchet", otherwise known as a quarter note. However, people may wear ethnic or national dress on special occasions or if carrying out certain roles or occupations. The origin of the crochet technique is a subject of considerable controversy.

Even people in poor countries can afford used clothing from richer Western countries. The word crochet is derived from the Middle French word croc or croche, meaning hook. It describes the process of creating fabric from a length of cord, yarn, or thread with a Crochet hook. Very few parts of the world remain where people do not wear items of cheap, mass-produced Western clothing. "Handmade Lace & Patterns" by Annette Feldman. Western fashion has to a certain extent become international fashion, as Western media and styles penetrate all parts of the world. Crochet: History & Technique by Lis Paludan. Charities usually skim the best of the clothing to sell in their own thrift stores and sell the rest to merchants, who bale it up and ship it to poor Third World countries, where vendors bid for the bales and then make what profit they can selling used clothing. A living mystery : the international art & history of crochet by Annie Louise Potter.

Used but still wearable clothing can be sold at consignment shops, flea markets, online auction, or just donated to charity. Irish crochet. Now it is usually just tossed into the trash. Cro-hook. It could also be recycled into paper. Hairpin lace. Used, no-longer-wearable clothing was once desirable raw material for quilts, rag rugs, bandages, and many other household uses. Broomstick lace.

But the thrifty still replace zippers and buttons and sew up ripped hems. Tunisian crochet. Many people prefer to buy a new piece of clothing rather than to spend their time mending old clothes. Filet crochet. Mass-manufactured clothing is less expensive than the time it would take to repair it. Today clothing is considered a consumable item.

When the raw material — cloth — was worth more than labor, it made sense to expend labor in saving it. A meticulous tailor or seamstress could mend rips with thread raveled from hems and seam edges so skillfully that the darn was practically invisible. In past times, mending was an art. Humans have developed many specialized methods for laundering, ranging from the earliest "pound clothes against rocks in running stream" to the latest in electronic washing machines and dry cleaning (dissolving dirt in solvents other than water).

But most clothing consists of cloth, and most cloth can be laundered and mended (patching, darning, but compare felt). Owners may patch tears and rips, and brush off surface dirt, but old leather and bark clothing will always look old. Cleaning leather presents difficulties; one cannot wash bark cloth (tapa) without dissolving it. In some cases, people simply wear an item of clothing until it falls apart.

Well-worn clothing, if not cleaned and refurbished, will smell, itch, look scruffy, and lose functionality (as when buttons fall off and zippers fail). Fleas and lice take up residence in clothing seams. From the outside, sun damage, damp, abrasion, dirt, and other indignities afflict the garment. The human body inside sheds skin cells and body oils, and exudes sweat, urine, and feces.

Clothing, once manufactured, suffers assault both from within and from without.
Reinforcing materials such as wood, bone, plastic and metal may be used to stiffen garments such as corsets, bodices, or swimsuits. Less-common clothing materials include:. Common clothing materials include:.

However, it may also be worn everyday as a marker for special religious status. Sometimes it is worn only during the performance of religious ceremonies. Religious clothing might be considered a special case of occupational clothing. Some clothing manufacturers make fetish clothing, designed to arouse buyers with specialized tastes.

Sometimes the clothing itself becomes the object of fetish, such as in case with used girl panties in Japan. Fetishes vary as much as fashion. Common fetishes involving clothing include arousal by or involving shoes, leather, uniforms, or lingerie. Fetishes have been documented in every culture and have been recorded throughout history.

Sometimes the object of clothing becomes the object of arousal itself. They may be strongly aroused by the sight of another person wearing clothing and accessories they consider arousing or sexually exciting. Because clothing and adornment are closely related to ideas of human sexuality and sexual display, humans may develop clothing fetishes. All the details proclaim sexual desirability, despite the ostensible message of respectability.

For example, a Saudi Arabian woman may wear an abaya to proclaim her respectability, but choose an abaya of luxurious material cut close to the body and then accessorize with high heels and a fashionable purse. Moreover, a person may choose to display a mixed message. What constitutes modesty and allurement varies radically from culture to culture, within different contexts in the same culture, and over time as different fashions rise and fall. A man might wear a tightly-cut shirt and unbutton the top buttons.

For example, a Western woman might wear extreme stiletto heels, close-fitting and body-revealing black or red clothing, exaggerated make-up, flashy jewelry and perfume to show sexual interest. Other clothing may indicate flirtatious intent. For example, many Muslim women wear a head or body covering (see hijab, burqa or bourqa, chador and abaya) that proclaims their status as respectable women. Some clothing indicates the modesty of the wearer.

See also Visual markers of marital status. Men and women of the Western world may wear wedding rings to indicate their marital status. Hindu women, once married, wear sindoor, a red powder, in the parting of their hair; if widowed, they abandon sindoor and jewelry and wear simple white clothing. Now that haute couture plagiarizes street fashion within a year or so, street fashion may have lost some of its power to shock, but it still motivates millions trying to look hip and cool.

Bohemians, beatniks, hippies, Goths, punks and Skinheads have continued the (countercultural) tradition in the 20th-century West. In 19th-century Europe, artists and writers lived la vie de Bohème and dressed to shock: George Sand in men's clothing, female emancipationists in bloomers, male artists in velvet waistcoats and gaudy neckcloths. Clothes can also proclaim dissent from cultural norms and mainstream beliefs, as well as personal independence. A French peasant woman may identify her village with her cap or coif.

A Sikh may display his religious affiliation by wearing a turban and other traditional clothing. A Scotsman declares his clan with his tartan. In many regions of the world, national costumes and styles in clothing and ornament declare membership in a certain village, caste, religion, etc. See also undercover.

Sometimes a single item of clothing or a single accessory can declare one's occupation or rank within a profession — for example, the high toque or chef's hat worn by a chief cook. Members of religious orders may wear uniforms known as habits. School children often wear school uniforms, while college and university students sometimes wear academic dress. Military, police, and firefighters usually wear uniforms, as do workers in many industries.

The threat of social ostracism may also limit garment choice. In current Western society, only the rich can afford haute couture. In other societies (including most modern societies), no laws prohibit lower-status people from wearing high-status garments, but the high cost of status garments effectively limits purchase and display. In many cases throughout history, there have been elaborate systems of sumptuary laws regulating who could wear what.

In China before the establishment of the republic, only the emperor could wear yellow. In ancient times, only Roman senators could wear garments dyed with Tyrian purple; only high-ranking Hawaiian chiefs could wear feather cloaks and palaoa or carved whale teeth. In many societies, people of high rank reserve special items of clothing or decoration for themselves as symbols of their social status. When fashion changes, messages from clothing change.

More extensive changes, that may require more time, money, or effort to effect, may span generations. 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. The manner of consciously constructing, assembling, and wearing clothing to convey a social message in any culture is governed by current fashion. If different groups read the same item of clothing or decoration with different meanings, the wearer may provoke unanticipated responses.

Humans must know the code in order to recognize the message transmitted. Social messages sent by clothing, accessories, and decorations can involve social status, occupation, ethnic and religious affiliation, marital status and sexual availability, etc. See: armor, diving suit, swimsuit, bee-keeper's costume, motorcycle leathers, high-visibility clothing, and protective clothing. Humans have shown extreme inventiveness in devising clothing solutions to practical problems.

In sum, clothing protects against anything that might injure the naked human body. The practical function of clothing is to protect the human body from weather — strong sunlight, extreme heat or cold, and precipitation — as well as protect from insects, noxious chemicals, weapons, and contact with abrasive substances. . Jewelry and eyeglasses are usually counted as accessories as well, even though in common speech these items are described as being worn rather than carried.

Articles carried rather than worn (such as purses, canes, and umbrellas) are normally counted as fashion accessories rather than as clothing. All these decorations contribute to the overall effect and message of clothing, but do not constitute clothing per se. Humans also decorate their bodies with makeup or cosmetics, perfume, and other ornamentation; they also cut, dye, and arrange the hair of their heads, faces, and bodies (see hairstyle), and sometimes also mark their skin (by tattoos, scarifications, and piercings). But every article of clothing also carries a cultural and social meaning.

Clothing protects the vulnerable human body from the extremes of weather and other features of our environment. People wear clothing for functional as well as for social reasons. Humans nearly universally wear clothing, which is also known as dress, garments, attire, or apparel. Clothing is defined, in its broadest sense, as coverings for the torso and limbs as well as coverings for the hands (gloves), feet (socks, shoes, sandals, boots) and head (hats, caps).

Harmless laser beams (usually white light) will measure the customer; computers will draw up a custom pattern and execute it in the customer's choice of cloth. Present-day ready-to-wear technologies will presumably give way to computer-aided custom manufacturing. Clothing may incorporate wearable computers, flexible wearable displays (possibly leading to fully animated clothing and some forms of invisibility cloaks), medical sensors, etc. "Smart" clothing will incorporate electronics.

For example, military uniforms may stiffen when hit by bullets, filter out poisonous chemicals, and treat wounds. Many more types of fibers will certainly be developed, possibly using nanotechnology. Man-made fibers such as nylon, polyester, Lycra, and Gore-Tex already account for much of the clothing market. Clothing in Oceania.

Clothing in Africa. Clothing in Asia. United States alternative fashion.