The Hidden Life of Clothing

Historical Perspectives on Fashion and Sustainability

Rachel Worth (Autor)

Buch | Softcover

216 Seiten

2023
Bloomsbury Visual Arts (Verlag)
978-1-350-18097-0 (ISBN)

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Since the democratisation of the clothing industry in the early 19th century, buyers have become increasingly disconnected from the creative and human aspects of the production of clothing. Arguably clothing is now valued less for its aesthetic qualities or because of the hours spent in its making, but more for the extent to which it serves current ‘fashion’.

In a climate of increasing anxiety about the environmental and social impact of the contemporary global fashion industry, Rachel Worth suggests that, rather than seeking solutions only in the present, looking to history can assist in understanding better the challenges consumers face today in making decisions about the contents of their wardrobes, which, in turn, will impact on the nature of the future global fashion industry. She does not seek to offer simplistic historical solutions to contemporary problems, but explores ways in which it might be possible to bridge divides between knowledge of the past, current individual choice, and possible directions for future action.

The more we know about our clothes, the less likely it is that we will wear an item of clothing only a few times before replenishing it with newer purchases that are ‘on trend’. By taking ownership of our personal clothing choices rather than feeling pressurised to respond to sophisticated marketing and to ‘influencers’, this book suggests how we might rethink our wardrobes in philosophical and practical ways in order to create a sense of order and beauty in our lives and to wrest control back from the increasing chaos of seemingly endless choice that perpetuates unsustainable, impersonal and fast fashion.

Rachel Worth is Professor of History of Dress and Fashion at the Arts University Bournemouth, UK. She is the author of Dress and Textiles (2002), Fashion for the People: A History of Clothing at Marks and Spencer (2006), Clothing and Landscape (2018) and Fashion and Class (2020).

List of Illustrations
Introduction

1. The Hidden Language of Clothing
Nursery Rhymes, Fabric and Clothing
Rhymes about Clothing and Class
Rhymes with an Advisory or Cautionary (Clothing) Theme
Rhymes about Clothing Poverty

2. From Democratisation to Fast Fashion
Technological Change and the Cotton Industry
Developments in the Making and Retailing of Ready-made Clothing
Adoption of the Sewing Machine
Retailing Revolution (I)
The Democratisation of Shoe Production
Retailing Revolution (II)
Democratising Colour

3. Sustainability and Clothing in Context
The Emergence of Fashion
The Road to Fast Fashion
The Backlash Against Fast Fashion
The Fabric of Fashion Conundrum
Transparency on the Label
The Use of Fur and Feathers

4. The Human Factor: Clothing, Growth and Alternative Economic Paradigms
‘Sweating’ and the Fight for a Minimum Wage
The Move to Outsourcing
The ’Economics’ of Fast Fashion

5. Clothing, Nature and the Environment
Clothing in Pastoral Narratives
Nature Fights Back
Nature and the Arts and Crafts Movement

6. Philosophies of Dress
Oscar Wilde: The Philosophy of Dress
Mary Eliza Haweis; The Art of Dress
Eric Gill: Clothes

Conclusion
Bibliography
Index

Erscheinungsdatum	11.07.2023
Zusatzinfo	30 bw illus
Verlagsort	London
Sprache	englisch
Maße	156 x 234 mm
Themenwelt	Kunst / Musik / Theater ► Design / Innenarchitektur / Mode
	Kunst / Musik / Theater ► Kunstgeschichte / Kunststile
	Naturwissenschaften ► Biologie ► Ökologie / Naturschutz
	Sozialwissenschaften
	Technik
	Wirtschaft
ISBN-10	1-350-18097-1 / 1350180971
ISBN-13	978-1-350-18097-0 / 9781350180970
Zustand	Neuware