Sign In: National Institute of Fashion Technol… Personal

No Account? Sign Up

About Browse Timelines Store

Search Databases
Advanced search

Menswear
eBook
2nd Edition
John Hopkins

Fairchild Books Library

SPORTSWEAR, KNIT, AND PRINT

DOI: 10.5040/9781474230117.ch-004
Pages: 90–115

Figure 4.1
Contemporary men's sportswear by Kris Van Assche Menswear S/S 2014.
Sportswear describes a variety of clothing and garments that are designed with a sport or leisure activity in mind. The early development of sportswear clothing in the nineteenth century was led by
menswear and reflected a less formal approach to dressing in favor of more practical considerations. It soon became codified according to the activity and led to many innovations in textile
technology and functional styling and details that are commonly associated with menswear . This chapter considers some of sportswear's key developments and innovations including denim, the
application of knitted and printed fabrics, and sportswear's global reach and association with branding.

Men's fashions all start as sports clothes and progress to the great occasions of state. The tail coat, which started out as a hunting coat, is just finishing such a journey. The
tracksuit is just beginning one.

Angus McGill

A Brief History of Sportswear

The origins of sportswear can be traced to the nineteenth century and reflected the established practice of dressing for a particular occasion or activity. This produced distinct modes of dress, such as
the riding habit for horse riding. During the mid-nineteenth century, however, with rapid industrialization in Europe and the United States, new forms of recreational activities were espoused by those
who could afford them. Recreation was a luxury for most people and dressing for sport signified a social status and position that was reassuringly exclusive to the early patrons of sportswear.

From its early class-based manifestations, men's sportswear soon took on the role of promoting physical health and well-being, which demanded suitable clothes for each activity or occasion. The
reintroduction of the Olympic Games in 1894 heralded a new movement. It would take another 50 years for technological advances in textiles to develop what we would recognize today as active
sportswear.

Figure 4.2

Two English gentleman wear nineteenth century cricket whites. Despite the heavy materials seeming impractical, the sportswear would have been made with whatever materials were readily
available and the choice of white was supposed to reflect the sun's glare, as the game was a summer sport.

Waxed jacket

The waxed cotton jacket is a country classic, designed for a variety of outdoor sporting activities. Waxed jackets are styled with a high level of functional detailing, such as double-entry zippers,
bellows, and concealed poacher's pockets, detachable hoods, and press stud fastenings (snaps). Although designed for the country, waxed jackets have transferred their appeal to urban dwellers
with a taste for the outdoors.
Traditional sports
Sports during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries were predominantly male, since women were considered too fragile or domestic to engage in competitive activities requiring physical
prowess. Early men's sporting activities broadly covered a range of hunting, fishing, and shooting pursuits, which saw the introduction of new clothing styles, such as the Norfolk jacket and
knickerbockers.

The Norfolk jacket was a popular style, originally designed as a shooting jacket for men in sturdy tweeds. It was also worn for cycling and helped to expand the range of British tweeds to the easier
fitting sack coat as a form of early spectator sportswear. Knickerbockers became acceptable wear for golf and were frequently teamed up with a knitted sweater. Jodhpurs became established for
riding and were worn with a close-fitting, high-buttoned riding jacket and a bowler (derby) hat.

Mackintosh raincoat

The mackintosh raincoat, abbreviated to a “mac,” is an authentic coat with an impressive heritage. It was invented in Scotland in 1823 by Charles Macintosh, who developed the process of
applying rubber onto cotton twill fabric to make it waterproof. Seams were later sealed with tapes to cover needle holes, thus ensuring the coat kept the wearer dry. The special combination of
skilled craftsmanship and Macintosh's exacting specifications has attracted international collaborations with luxury brands and has commanded strong customer loyalty.

The American Influence

By the beginning of the twentieth century, the United States had established a culture of informal dressing that was setting it apart from Europe, thanks to the forces of rapid industrialization, growing
economy, and a diverse climate. The United States had its own sporting interests in baseball and American football, which contributed to distinctly American expressions of men’s sportswear style.
Baseball jackets, colorful Hawaiian shirts, and lumber jackets, with their bold oversized plaids, had no equivalents in the European tradition. Moreover, American men were more receptive to the
sportswear notions of comfort and ease than their European counterparts. America assumed the spiritual mantle of sportswear, embracing it as its own. Since the second half of the twentieth century,
sportswear has become synonymous with American style.

The arrival of the post-Second World War teenage rebel and the enormous impact of Hollywood combined to accelerate the rise of sportswear, in turn influencing the landscape of menswear .
Technological advances in textile manufacturing and finishing processes enabled sportswear to become a catalyst for change across many aspects of menswear .

Figure 4.3
Y3 is a collaboration between Adidas and Yohji Yamamoto; its launch in 2002 revolutionized the industry. Y3 A/W 10 collection.
Baseball jacket

The classic baseball jacket is a statement of American style with a strong sportswear heritage. Closely linked to college varsity styles, baseball jackets have become popular items of sportswear
spawning numerous branded and urban style imitations. The jacket style has evolved over decades, but it is typically identified by a vibrant colored body in boiled wool with contrast leather
sleeves and an out-breast badge or sports logo, front fastened with press stud (snap), and trimmed with a stripe-knit banded collar and cuffs.

Bermuda shorts

The original Bermuda walking shorts were developed for British military servicemen who were posted to tropical and desert climates. Later the shorts acquired their association with the island of
Bermuda during the Second World War, when the military shorts were copied for Bermudan civil employees. After the war the fabric range was expanded to include more lively colors and cool
cottons, which established the style’s enduring popularity.

Undergarments
Historically, undergarments were concealed and relatively anonymous pieces worn next to the skin with the main purpose of providing a sanitary layer between the wearer and his outer garments.
During the twentieth century, however, and in parallel with the rise of branded sportswear, men's underwear came out of the closet and onto the pages of style magazines and advertising billboards.
By adorning waistbands with designer names and brand logos, the men's underwear market has undergone something of a marketing revolution since the 1980s and has played its part in presenting
evolving ideals of male beauty and physical fitness.

The underwear revolution

Today the men's underwear market is big business and part of the branded menswear sector. Bold colors and name-branded waistbands, often worn to be visible as a component of casual wear,
are a modern phenomenon of men's underwear styling and are readily available in a range of cuts, patterns, fabrics, and fits from prominent American and European labels. In the modern evolution
of men's underwear Calvin Klein is a notable brand leader. With a series of visually striking advertising and promotional campaigns, the label has extended the commercial offer and fashionable
appeal of men's underwear in a highly competitive menswear sector.

Undershirts
Combination sleeveless undershirts were widely worn by men until the mid-1930s. The war years saw American servicemen issued with undershirts with short sleeves, called T-shirts. Named
because of their outline shape, T-shirts remained as undergarments during the war before entering the post-war male wardrobe in various forms including cotton jerseys, Aertex, and ribbed cotton
versions.

Technological and textile advances have extended the range of fit and fabric options including seamless garments, athletic elastane, and cotton mixes as well as undershirts with thermal properties
and a new generation of eco-friendly knitted fabrics in bamboo and soy fibers. Colors and prints have largely been catered for through the style's rapid evolution into the ubiquitous male T-shirt.

Figure 4.4

Dolce & Gabbana are market leaders in underwear design, a highly competitive menswear sector. Dolce & Gabbana menswear A/W 10.

The rise of the T-shirt

In the Second World War, American servicemen were issued with undershirts, called T-shirts because of their outline shape. After the war variations of the short-sleeved military T-shirt began to
appear in army surplus stores and in the movies, where they were seen on a series of Hollywood male icons, such as Marlon Brando and James Dean in the 1950s and Paul Newman and Steve
McQueen in the 1960s. The Hollywood stars did much to redefine the former undergarment into an item of clothing with sex appeal, which would go on to become the ubiquitous symbol of male
youth.

T-shirts, sometimes called “tees,” are available across the sports and casual wear markets. They are a staple item of clothing in their original classic white or “basic” form, as well as being highly
versatile, in common with denim jeans. Subject to fluctuations in fashion, the T-shirt has been printed on, embroidered, embossed, tie-dyed, appliquéd, and generally customized by individual
wearers over the years. T-shirts have become a perennial favorite of male peer groups and counterculture dressing, representing an affiliation to a particular style, sport, brand, or community, as well
as being an individual viewpoint as part of an outfit or “look.” Not surprisingly, T-shirts have been adapted into a political item of dress, bearing slogans and arresting images, as well as becoming a
tourist item, merging corporate interests with humor.

Figure 4.5
Threadless is a specialist T-shirt company based in the United States. Members of the public are invited to submit their own designs, which are then put to a public vote by the Threadless online
community and the selected prints are sold online. It's a good example of how the T-shirt continues to evolve and adapt with the times.

Figure 4.6
 In the 1960s, printed T-shirts gained popularity for self-expression as well as for advertisements, protests and souvenirs. Today they are still used to spread a message and help a cause, with
clothing brands such as Out of Print, using a percentage of their profits to promote literacy in underserved communities.

Denim
Denim occupies a unique position in the story of menswear . It transcends the seasonal vagaries of fashion and invites the wearer to apply his own style aesthetic. A pair of jeans is the most
common yet personal item of clothing that most men own today.

Figure 4.7
Denim by Nudie Jeans, an ethical label based in Sweden. It uses organic cotton and ecological procedures for spinning, dyeing, and finishing the yarn.

Icon: Marlon Brando

American acting legend and activist Marlon Brando was famed in his youth for his good looks and method acting in a career that spanned over 50 years. No stranger to controversy during his life,
Brando was dubbed a sex symbol by the popular media after his brooding performance in the 1951 movie A Streetcar Named Desire, when he famously wore a close-fitting T-shirt. He gained
further critical acclaim and notoriety in the 1953 movie The Wild One for his portrayal of a motorcycle rebel and gang leader, for which he wore a leather jacket and denim jeans, greatly boosting
the sales of both items at the time.
A brief history of jeans
Denim jeans began life as workwear in the mid-nineteenth-century Californian gold rush. According to legend, Levi Strauss, a 24-year-old German immigrant, left New York and headed to San
Francisco with a small supply of dry goods from his brother's store, which he hoped to sell to the prospecting gold miners of the region. He took with him some heavy canvas, which he intended to
sell for tents and wagon covers. When the miners expressed an interest in purchasing sturdy trousers (pants) that would last under the rough wear of mining, Strauss identified a business opportunity
and arranged for his canvas to be made into waist overalls. The new pants were well received by the miners, but tended to chafe, so having improvised with the fabric, Strauss replaced the original
canvas with a twill cotton fabric from France called “serge de Nîmes” and had the fabric dyed blue with indigo. The hard-wearing blue fabric soon became known as denim and the waist overalls
became known as blue jeans.

I have often said that I wish I had invented blue jeans: the most spectacular, the most practical, the most relaxed and nonchalant. They have expression, modesty, sex appeal,
simplicity – all I hope for in my clothes.

Yves Saint Laurent

Denim mythology
It can be difficult to square up the mythology that has built up around denim jeans with authenticated facts. In the years following the California gold rush denim jeans gradually established
themselves as practical workwear garments for North America's farmers and blue-collar workers. During the 1930s it was said that “dudes” from the East Coast states who visited the former “Wild
West” returned to the cities with a pair of jeans as a memento of their visit. The East Coast visitors helped to introduce denim jeans to a receptive new audience, but also helped to fuel the growing
myth about blue jeans. The myth centered on the perceived associations of denim jeans with the American cowboy culture of the west. In reality, denim jeans were adopted by cowboys as late as the
1890s; however, they became inextricably linked to the spirit of adventure and freedom. The new jeans, with their refined cuts and style options, were taken up by American college students in the
1940s and the workwear garment began to take on a new youthful, masculine appeal. When screen and music stars including James Dean, Marlon Brando, and Elvis Presley were seen wearing
jeans in the 1950s, their cult status was confirmed.

Global phenomenon
The arrival of so-called “designer jeans” marked a new stage in the global evolution of denim. Men's designer jeans were introduced in the late 1970s; there was huge market potential, but the move
represented unknown territory. The dilemma for the men's jeans market was that the notion of “designer” flew in the face of the original appeal of jeans as an item of nonconformity and youthful
expression. Within a few years and in response to burgeoning street styles that motivated individual customization, such as adding tears and bleaching the denim, manufacturers replicated the look
of worn denim and re-marketed jeans to a more savvy public. In effect, designer jeans became streetwise. Premium denim brands today include some notable European and Japanese denim labels
offering an array of cuts, fits, and finishes.

AG-ed Vintage jeans

AG-ed Vintage jeans were developed by the American premium denim brand AG Adriano Goldschmied in an effort to create a distinct line of jeans with a vintage appeal and a modern silhouette.
Applying a laundry technique that the company calls “AG-ed,” the jeans imitate pre-worn vintage jeans. The number of washes is set to achieve the desired number of years for which the jeans will
appear to have been worn.

Icon: David Beckham

International soccer player and English sports ambassador David Beckham is equally well known for his photogenic looks, product endorsements, charitable work, and versatile dress style. He
has become a global media personality and style trendsetter with a devoted fan base. As husband to former Spice Girl and fashion entrepreneur Victoria Beckham, Beckham has appeared in
numerous fashion photo shoots, including a well-publicized campaign for Italian fashion designer Giorgio Armani, to promote the Emporio Armani men's underwear line. Beckham has also
launched his own fragrance line and regularly appears in celebrity-watch blogs and international style publications.

Diesel jeans
Founded in 1978, Diesel is an Italian clothing brand with a significant denim collection, which has made it one of the leading men's jean brands. Its designs are skillfully communicated through youth-
oriented multimedia channels of advertising and related communications. Diesel jeans are known for their high level of comfort and precise fit, making them one of the most sought-after brands.

Earnest Sewn jeans

Earnest Sewn is an American brand committed to producing only highquality denim. It integrates the Japanese tradition of wabi-sabi (the beauty of things imperfect, modest and unconventional) with
denim's considerable American heritage. Earnest Sewn's assembly processes are less about mass production and more about hand-crafted techniques; they offer a “lived-in” look and ensure that
each pair of their jeans is uniquely individual, a point that is celebrated in the wabi-sabi Japanese tradition.
Global Sportswear
The second half of the twentieth century witnessed the transformation of active sportswear from clothing that was worn almost exclusively by professional athletes, to branded clothing and
accessories worn by wider sections of society.

The impact of active sportswear on menswear during the closing decades of the twentieth century was revolutionary. With its close associations to physical performance and health, sportswear
would appeal to new generations of men who sought to break with the restrictive dress styles of their fathers and forefathers. Its post-war ascent coincided with the rise of the teenager and the
phenomenon of youth-oriented pop culture across Europe and North America, the rapid advances of fiber technologies, and the rise of media influences and new male role models across the fields of
sports, music, film, and television.

Adidas began to market its distinctive tracksuits, which were adorned with the company's three-stripe logo, as leisure wear during the 1960s. The fitness craze of the 1980s saw the tracksuit being
reinvented as the “shell suit.” These colorful, lightweight nylon jogging suits, originally popularized by professional athletes and made by reputable branded sportswear companies, crossed over to
mainstream menswear . They fell out of favor in the 1990s, having been overexposed and copied by a variety of mass merchandisers. At the same time, new sportswear brands, such as Nike,
Reebok, and Adidas, began to define themselves in a rapidly growing branded sportswear market.

Of course, active sportswear was never going to replace all modes of male dress and has had no real impact on formal wear, but its widespread adoption has made it a potent force in menswear .
Some sociologists and historians would argue that active sportswear has succeeded in replacing one uniform way of dressing with another. Certainly the growth and popularity of active sportswear
has made it appear ubiquitous, but its success has not entirely been the result of social and technological circumstances. Sportswear manufacturers and retailers have come to recognize the
importance of ongoing technology investment and effective brand communication as a prerequisite for continued growth and success. Highprofile branding and signature logos have become an
integral and indispensable part of men's active sportswear clothing and accessories. Without the association and kudos of the brand, it is difficult for a sportswear product to command its price or
communicate its position in the marketplace. It is not surprising, perhaps, that the men's active sportswear sector represents a multi-billion-dollar global industry that is driven by a competitive
momentum to stay quite literally one step ahead of the competition: other active sportswear brands.

Gore-Tex®

Gore-Tex® is a waterproof/breathable fabric that was developed in the United States during the late 1970s and patented as a waterproof laminate. Gore-Tex® fabrics are created by laminating
the company's membrane system to high-performance fabrics, which are then sealed, usually with taped seams to eliminate leaks, and offer 100% waterproof protection. Successfully applied to
co-branded active sportswear, Gore-Tex® continues a tradition of performance fabric innovation that has expanded the active sportswear options for men.

Figure 4.8
Sneakers and trainers are among the most popular items of athletic footwear for men, transcending sports and urban wear.
Knit for Menswear
Knitwear offers some unique characteristics to menswear garments and collections. The looped yarn construction of knitted textiles can vary enormously depending on the type of yarn, gauge size,
and the tension of the knitted material. Unlike woven fabrics, knitted fabrics do not have a grain or bias and are remarkably versatile and flexible when worn against the body. Despite technological
advances that have taken place with knitting, including computerized knitting machines that can be programmed to create a variety of patterns and shapes, the process of conceiving and making a
knitted garment can still be undertaken either by hand or with the aid of a machine to create a wide variety of textures, patterns, and construction properties. For some designers the main appeal of a
knitted garment is its ability to be conceived and produced as a three-dimensional garment, or part of a garment, with its own tactile properties and handle that is capable of assimilating movement
with texture, structure, color, and pattern.

Menswear has a long and close association with knitted garments including jersey knits commonly used for T-shirts and undergarments, and more traditional knits with a heritage that has developed
over time and in response to local needs, customs, and traditions. Aran and Fair Isle knits are two examples. Originally produced by a remote island community off the coast of Scotland, Fair Isle
knits represent a distinct tradition that still endures today and is characterized by the use of pattern and color, allowing contemporary menswear designers to draw inspiration with updated versions
of Fair Isle knits seen across menswear collections. Aran knits are another example that developed among a remote island community off the west coast of Ireland, where thick, undyed yarns were
hand-knitted into robust textural patterns that included the distinctive lattice and cable designs still adapted and featured in some menswear collections today.

Knitwear remains a vibrant and evolving component of menswear design that continues to embrace innovation and technological advances without losing its sense of craftsmanship and tradition
from concept to the creation of a physical sample.

Figure 4.9

Knitwear by Lori Stayte.

Figure 4.10
Knitwear by Jonny Wadland.

Figure 4.11

Knitwear by Jonny Wadland.

Figure 4.12
 Knits by Alex Benekritis.

Print for Menswear

Most commonly associated with pattern and color, print can offer distinctive attributes and visual definition to menswear garments across woven and knitted materials. Designing for print can also
present some challenges. Foremost among these is the need to carefully consider the placement, scale, and design of a print depending on the function or desired effect. Print designs can be used
to link or highlight colors, create geometry, symmetry, color blocking, trompe l’oeil effects, or perhaps to add an expressive quality to a design. Whatever its purpose, print encompasses a variety of
commercial and crafted processes and techniques that can broadly be described as screen printing or digital printing. Screen printing refers to a set of processes where a print is made using one or
more screens for color separation to build up the final design. Although commercially available, some screen printing can also be uniquely handcrafted. Screen prints often present a textural quality
that is not associated with digital prints. Common examples of screen prints for menswear include placement prints on T-shirts that are usually positioned as an artwork or graphic logo on the front of
a T-shirt.

Digital printing is a more recent but growing addition to the print options available to menswear , and covers a broad spectrum of designs that are created or saved as a digital file on a computer
screen before being transferred directly onto the selected fabric. The appeal of digital prints for some designers is their immediacy and versatility. Although digital printing is not a cheap option, due in
part to the cost of suitable inks, it is becoming more commercially available and sophisticated. One of the most popular and enduring prints for menswear remains the camouflage print, arising from
its military origins. Today menswear designers can select or combine prints according to their particular requirements by purchasing a print from an open range, commissioning a print from a print
designer, or designing an original print.

Figure 4.13
Alex Benekritis menswear presentation. The designer cites tribal and military influences, which can be seen in the print on the shirt and the use of heavy-duty, waterproof material for the
outerwear.
Figure 4.14

Alex Benekritis menswear design.

Figure 4.15

Alex Benekritis menswear presentation, exploring both the synthetic and the natural.
Exercise Design for Sportswear Fabrication
Introduction

Sportswear has become synonymous with contemporary menswear . Closely associated with branding and youth culture, men's sportswear has evolved from functional sporting and leisure
garments to represent informality and youth culture. With the advent of man-made/synthetic fibers, sportswear gained further impetus while influencing generations of young men to adopt denim
jeans and high-tech brands that have spawned numerous street styles associated with music, rebellion, and popular culture.

Aims

To begin to appreciate the diversity of men's sportswear in the context of popular culture.

To design for sportswear with an appreciation of product, performance, and fiber technologies.

To consider print and knitwear in the context of men's sportswear.

Discussion points

Discuss the impact and influence that fiber technologies have had on the development of contemporary men’s sportswear.

Critically evaluate sportswear's growth and appeal, including its adoption by youthful consumers and global brands.

Referring to examples by contemporary menswear designers, discuss print and knitwear in the context of sportswear.

Activities

Research a historical men’s sportswear garment and update it for a contemporary market. You should retain key elements of functionality and consider contemporary fabrication and
trimmings. Include technical flat artwork for your design(s).

Select a suitable theme for a men’s sportswear collection and design a range of interchangeable pieces to include print or knitwear. Consider the merchandise mix of your menswear range
paying particular attention to color, texture, and detailing. Include technical flats as part of your artwork.

Inspired by the versatility and mythology of denim, design an individual menswear garment.

Develop a thematic approach to creating your visual boards including fabric research, trimmings, and surface treatments such as stitching, printing, or dyeing.

Interview Man of the World, Alan Maleh

Fashion entrepreneur Alan Maleh is the founder and publisher of Man of the World, a luxury men's lifestyle publication and retail store dedicated to connecting today's affluent
global consumer with best-in-class items and experiences across all categories. His latest project is Man of the World's first brick and mortar concept shop in Williamsburg, New
York.

Why did you start Man of the World?

I started the business almost three years ago because I felt there was a void in the high-end men's market space. In menswear , in media, and in overall men’s luxury, no one was speaking
directly to me. I wanted to speak to the men out there and help them by curating the best of the best. From watches to fashion, to travel and cars, we aimed to become the destination for the
affluent customer who doesn't have time to waste scouring the internet for the best bar tools or desk accessories. We made it our goal to find those items and offer them directly to our customers.

How would you describe the Man of the World customer?

Man of the World's customer base is made up of several different archetypes. The gentleman, the bohemian, the sportsman. These are the types of men we speak to, and we buy with them in
mind. We speak and cater to a wide variety of men. We look to offer the best watches, furniture, suiting, accessories, and anything else our customers are looking for. The recurring idea within all
our customers is that they like the finer things in life. They appreciate the curated experience of Man of the World.

Tell me about some of your rare/ vintage items.

We offer a variety of rare, vintage items on our website. Some of my favorite pieces at present include a Ben & Aja Blanc Studio Bronze Apatosaurus, a Four Car Train Set with Functional Lights
and Stand, a Rolex Daytona “Fuerza Aerea del Peru” Tropical Dial, a Curtis Jeré Tennis Court, Wall Sculpture and Vintage Six Square Stone Turquoise Cuff Link.

Tell me about your online magazine.

We currently offer a digital version of our print magazine. We produce a quarterly magazine that showcases and chronicles the one-of-a-kind people, places, and things across diverse topics
including style, leisure, food, art, design, and culture. It aims to provide ideas of distinctive modern luxury living with a heritage perspective, focusing on unique objects, unexpected destinations,
and timeless design.

What plans do you have for the future of the business?

We plan to continue to fill the void in the men's market space. We plan to continue to produce a magazine that is unparalleled in the industry; we plan to collaborate and consult with great brands
in multiple ways, brands who are looking for expertise in the menswear marketplace. Our concierge membership business has been growing steadily over the past year. We plan to expand our
website reach through social media and direct outreach to our customers. We plan to drive more traffic to our Brooklyn location.
 Related Content
Images
 » View all image results (31)

Text + Videos

An Ivy Boy and A Preppy Girl: Style Import-Export Book chapter

Masafumi Monden
Source: Japanese Fashion Cultures. Dress and gender in contemporary Japan, 2015, Berg Fashion Library
Taking great care of appearance is the first step of every fashion.

‘At Once Classical and Modern’: Raymond Duncan Dress and Textiles in the Royal Ontario Museum Book chapter
Alexandra Palmer
Source: Dress History. New Directions in Theory and Practice, 2015, Berg Fashion Library
I first learned about Raymond Duncan from a lecture on men in togas given by Lou Taylor in the mid-1980s. She showed an astonishing image from the turn of the century of a man walking along the
banks of the Seine wearing a draped toga, sandals and pushing an enormous black perambulator. I was flabbergasted, not only by his appearance, but also by the fact that I had not heard nor read
about such a colourful character during my years studying art, fashion and textile history. Since seeing his text

The Making of an American Icon: The Transformation of Blue Jeans during the Great Depression Book chapter
Sandra Curtis Comstock
Source: Global Denim, 2011, Berg Fashion Library
As the chapters in this volume show, at the current conjuncture, an astonishing number of people in a striking number of cultural contexts have come to deploy jeans as a symbol of movement
between social worlds and boundary crossing – be it generation, gender, culture, religion or class-inflected boundary crossing. In a world characterized by intensifying exchange and transposable
goods, produced by the now ‘virtually universal intersection of (cultural) structures’, blue jeans seem to epitomize

How Blue Jeans went Green: The Materiality of an American Icon Book chapter
Bodil Birkœbwk Olesen
Source: Global Denim, 2011, Berg Fashion Library
First they built the country’s infrastructure, then they populated it with a collective identity

The Limits of Jeans in Kannur, Kerala Book chapter

Daniel Miller
Source: Global Denim, 2011, Berg Fashion Library
Within the context of a study of global denim, South Asia is significant in representing perhaps the only remaining major region of the world where the wearing of jeans remains relatively uncommon.
No one place can stand for South Asia, but an advantage of Kannur, a town in northern Kerala, is that at least for that state, it represents in the minds of its inhabitants, a clear position midway
between the cosmopolitanism of the metropolis and the conservatism of the countryside. As such, many peop

Jeanealogies: Materiality and the (Im)permanence of Relationships and Intimacy Book chapter
Sophie Woodward
Source: Global Denim, 2011, Berg Fashion Library
I wear his jeans when I’m on my own in my flat … I don’t know why … I guess it makes me feel like I’m still close to him, kind of comforted …

Suits You: Men and Tweed, 1919–1952 Book chapter

Fiona Anderson
Source: Tweed, 2018, Berg Fashion Library
Following the First World War, as Jenkins, DavidJenkins clarifies, there was an immediate boom in the wool textiles trade, which for a brief period generated high profits and labor
demand.DavidJenkins, “Wool Textiles in the Twentieth Century,” in DavidJenkins, The Cambridge History of Western Textiles, II (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 995. In the
company history of Crombie, J. & J. (company)J. & J. Crombie of Aberdeen these developments are described as follows: there was a tr

Trans-Global Narratives Book chapter

Mackinney-Valentin Maria
Source: Fashioning Identity Status Ambivalence in Contemporary Fashion, 2017, Berg Fashion Library
At a security post outside Malindi Airport in Kenya, a local policeman asks where I am from. “Say ‘Hi’ to Daniel Agger,” he says when I answer “Denmark.” The reference to the Danish soccer player
formerly of Liverpool FC highlights the social and cultural role of soccer in Kenya as a cross-cultural narrative that speaks to a sense of global community. Transnationally, soccer is a social
icebreaker and a shared point of reference even for those who are not fans.
Introducing Japanese Fashion, Past and Present Book chapter
Masafumi Monden
Source: Japanese Fashion Cultures. Dress and gender in contemporary Japan, 2015, Berg Fashion Library
Culture refers to behaviour and beliefs that are learned and shared: learned so it is not ‘instinctual’ and shared so it is not individual. Sharing refers to social sharing but there is no limitation as to the
boundaries of this sociality. No territorial or historical boundaries are implied as part of the definition. This Wilson, Elizabeththe ‘format’ and ‘product’ theoryunderstanding of culture is open-ended.
Leaning is always ongoing as a function of changing circumstances and therefore culture

Conclusion: Clothing, Modernization, and Globalization Book chapter

Jianhua Zhao
Source: The Chinese Fashion Industry. An Ethnographic Approach, 2013, Berg Fashion Library
When the Chinese Communist Party decided to reform the Chinese economy in 1978, it started a fundamental shift in China’s economic structure from a state-owned and state-run planned economy
to one that is composed of increasing shares of privately owned and foreign-owned sectors. China’s apparel industry is particularly illustrative of this trend. Since the early 1990s, China’s apparel
industry has been dominated by non-state-owned sectors. Such a shift in China’s economic structure has created a

» View All Results (366)