Like food and shelter, clothing is a basic human need. Clothing keeps the body warm and protects it from harm. People also use clothing to express themselves. The first clothes were simple coverings of natural materials. Today people wear a wide variety of clothing made with the help of sewing machines and synthetic fabrics.

Clothing styles

The climate affects clothing styles in different regions. For example, the Inuit of the Arctic have traditionally worn several layers of clothing made of animal skins and fur. In many tropical areas people wear very little clothing. In Middle Eastern deserts people wear long, white robes as protection from the bright sun and hot winds. Where seasons vary from hot summers to icy winters, people adjust their clothing based on the weather.

People also wear clothing to tell others about themselves. Uniforms show which people are soldiers and police officers. Women sometimes wear different colors and styles than men do. Young people may wear unusual clothes to rebel against their parents. Rich people wear expensive clothes made by famous designers. Religion and culture affect clothing styles as well. Despite these differences, international business, travel, movies, and television have helped to spread similar styles around the globe. Jeans, for example, are popular almost everywhere. (See also fashion.)

Clothing materials

Until the late 19th century all clothing was made from animal skins or natural fibers. Such fibers as silk and wool came from animals. Cotton and flax were common plant fibers. There were some drawbacks with those materials, however. Cotton and linen wrinkle after being washed. Leather and silk are expensive and need to be carefully cleaned. Wool can irritate the skin, and moth larvae eat wool clothing.

The introduction of synthetic, or man-made, cloth solved many of those problems. Synthetic fabrics generally wrinkle, fade, and shrink less than natural cloth. In the late 19th century a French chemist made artificial silk—later called rayon—from a plant substance called cellulose. In the 1930s scientists developed nylon, the first cloth to be made from petroleum. Later synthetic fabrics include polyester and spandex. Today many clothes are made of synthetic fabric or a blend of natural and synthetic fibers.

History

Early humans made clothing from the skins and fur of animals. When humans began to settle in villages and to grow crops, they started making cloth. They tried different fibers and used some of their basket-weaving techniques. They sewed with needles made of bone, horn, or wood. They made thread out of animal tissue.

From those early days until the 18th century, people made all clothing by hand. Every city and many towns had seamstresses and tailors, who cut and sewed clothing piece by piece. Many people made their own clothes at home.

During the Industrial Revolution new machines operated by foot or waterpower could spin thread and weave cloth. Inventors made the first sewing machines in the mid–19th century. Other new machines could cut several layers of cloth at once or make buttonholes. Those advances made it possible to produce clothing in factories quickly and in large amounts. This made it affordable for the common person to buy finished clothing.

By the early 20th century factories and workshops produced much of the clothing in the United States and the United Kingdom. By the end of the 20th century Asian countries made and exported a large share of the world's clothing. People also began using computers to design and produce clothing.