Fashion Design: Origin And History

Table of Contents

Origin Of Clothing

- The origin of clothing is inferred mainly from archaeological findings, ancient paintings and figurines. The actual dating of the origin of clothing keeps changing with new findings by archaeologists and the interpretations provided by anthropologists who study various aspects of human existence in past and present societies. Anthropological research on human head lice and lice that live in clothes, suggests that clothing may have originated around 170,000 years ago. Other researchers claim that clothing may have originated around 540,000 years ago.

- One view is that the origin of clothing may have coincided with the northward migration of the modern Homo Sapiens away from the warm climate of Africa. Another view is that the invention of clothing may have been necessitated by the loss of body hair by human beings during the process of evolution. The severe cold of the northern regions would have forced them to cover themselves with objects available in the surroundings. They also suggest that the earliest forms of clothing may have been made of animal hide and fur, as well as vegetation including bark, leaves, and grass that were draped, wrapped, or tied around the body.

- Archaeological findings of dyed and twisted flax fibers found in the prehistoric Dzudzuanacave [34000 BCE] in the Republic of Georgia and sewing needles made of bone or ivory [30000 BCE] suggest that clothing may have originated quite early in human history.

Milestones In The History Of Clothing

In the long history of clothing, there have been important milestones in the development of clothing. These include the following:

Fiber And Thread

The processes of pressing and compacting fibers together were used to make the first textile called Felt. Bark cloth called Tapa or Kapa was a primitive fabric made by beating and matting the soft inner bark of certain trees. Twisted and dyed flax fibers have been found in a prehistoric cave in Georgia. This was followed by the Nalbinding [Needle Binding] technique which was a form of single-needle knitting. In the Paleolithic Age [30,000 BCE- 10,000 BCE] and the Mesolithic Age [10,000 BCE to 4,000 BCE] thread and cord made of grass, and animal sinews were used to bind or fasten tools and other possessions together for ease of travel in a hunter-gatherer society.

Sewing

The sewing needle with an eye, made of bone or ivory, are among the earliest clothing-making tools discovered by archaeologists in 1988 from caves in Russia dating back to 30,000 BCE. These needles were perhaps used to stitch vegetation or pieces of leather together for making clothes that protected human beings from extreme cold.

Woven Fabric

Spinning and weaving developed and spread during the Neolithic period [10,000 to 4,500 BCE] with Vegetable Bast Fibers, Flax, Cotton, Silk, and Wool. The earliest finding of woven woolen cloth is dated around 6,500 BC. The oldest cotton fabric was found in the ancient city of Mohenjo-Daro that existed around 2,500 BC. Silk textile also flourished during the Neolithic Age in China and Japan. The earliest evidence of silk production in China dates from between 5000 BCE and 3000 BCE. Japan started weaving during the Jomon period between 12,000 BCE to 300 BCE.

Sewing Machine

The earliest sewing machine was invented in 1790 by Thomas Saint which used the chain stitch technique. Subsequent inventions attempted to create better sewing machines. However, it was Isaac Merritt Singer who won the technology race in 1851 with a patented sewing machine that dramatically changed the way clothing was sewn.

Power Loom

The mechanized power looms that partially automated textile weaving was one of the most important inventions of the Industrial Revolution. Edmund Cartwright designed the first power loom in 1784 which he built and patented the next year. Kenworthy and Bullough developed the semi-automatic power loom called Lancashire loom in 1842. By 1850 England had over 260,000 power looms in operation. The Northrop loom made fifty years later was a fully automatic loom with a self-feeding shuttle mechanism. Power looms ensured that there was no shortage of fabrics for the clothing industry.

Fashion Design

Historically one-of-a-kind clothes were designed and made to measure exclusively for the royalty and the most fashionable figures at the royal courts by dressmakers and seamstresses. Rose Bertin was a dressmaker to Marie Antoinette who was the queen of France during the French Revolution and faced criticism for excessive spending on clothes. However, the history of fashion began with the development of the textiles and clothing industry during the Industrial Revolution in the 18th and 19th centuries. The first professional fashion designer was Charles Fredrick Worth, also known as the ‘Father of Couture‘ who was an Englishman living in Paris who had a business employing several drapers, tailors, and seamstresses. His talent was noticed by Empress Eugenie of France whose patronage brought him into the limelight. This also made Paris the fashion capital that influenced the other fashion centers in other countries.

Fashion Design: Theories Of The Origin Of Clothing
Fashion Design: Functions Of Clothing
Fashion Design: Indian Clothing In First Half Of The 20th Century
Fashion Design: Indian Fashion In The Second Half Of The 20th Century
Fashion Concepts