The clothing industry has experienced various changes from time to time. We’ve come a long way in terms of fashion and technology. Although we think we know about everything about apparel, here are some clothing facts that left us both- shocked and amazed!
- Historically, purple clothes were only worn by magistrates, emperors, and other aristocracies in Rome, Italy because of the lack of availability of this color and the process of creating it.
- College of Optics & Photonics at the University of Central Florida has announced the first user-controlled color-changing fabric, which enables the wearer to change both the color and pattern using their smartphone.
- The famous Lacoste crocodile symbol was created in 1933 and was the first designer logo ever.
- It takes 700 gallons of water to make a cotton shirt. Which would be equivalent to keep a person hydrated for 900 days.
- The global textile and apparel industry, which includes fabrics, clothing, footwear, and many other manufactured goods, is currently worth nearly $3 trillion.
- The global fashion apparel industry represents nearly 2% of the world GDP. Nearly 75% of the world’s fashion market is concentrated in Europe, the USA, China, and Japan.
- Eighty billion pieces of clothing are consumed globally every year.
- Australian’s are the world’s second-largest consumer of fashion. On average, they consume 27kgs of new clothing and textiles every year.
- Nearly 70 million barrels of oil are used each year to make the world’s polyester fiber, which is now the most commonly used fiber in our clothing.
- Queen Juana, from Portugal, wore the first hoop skirt in a bid to hide the fact she was pregnant.
- Genoan sailors were known colloquially as “Genes” and wore cotton pants, which is where we get the word “jeans” from.
- Metal needles are relatively new since 30,000 years ago, they were being made from animal bones.
- Men wore high heels to ride horses up until 1740. It was thought that the heels helped them to ride better.
- The tuxedo gets its name from the town named Tuxedo, situated in Orange County. This was the place where a tuxedo was first worn.
- Up until the beginning of the 19th century, models were not used to showcase clothes. Fashion companies would use dolls instead.
- The record for the world’s longest wedding dress is held by a dress that has a 1.85-mile long train.
- A Greenpeace study for the Detox Campaign has identified 11 chemicals frequently used to make our clothes that contain toxins, carcinogens, and hormone disruptors
