Fashion has always been a part of human life. Since the beginning of time humans have covered their bodies with many different types of materials like animal skin and plant fibers. We have done this to provide warmth in cooler weather and to protect our sensitive skin from getting scratched or hurt by hard or sharp objects around us. Nevertheless, the decorative aspect has always been a big part of dressing our bodies. Even in the very beginning people liked to decorate their garments with feathers, bones and other interesting objects and materials that were pleasing to the eye. Fashion has always been a changing trend, but we can see that through out history people developed more skills and were able to make more difficult garments which meant more time-consuming labour. However when the industrial revolution started garments became simpler againg so that it would be easier to mass produce. In later years this has led to the over consumption of fashion. Fast fashion production has become unsustainable and is rapidly poluting our planet.

 Fashion trends in this era did not change very frequently, however the hair styles changed hurriedly. Common fabrics were wool, linen, and silk. Leather was used for shoes and sandals and some military gear.The common publics garment was usually not dyed. Yet, the very rich could dye their clothes and it was common that the emperor could use purple. Purple was made from sea snails.

Their garments consisted of tunics, cloaks, and mantles. Clothing was often formed from long fabrics that were twirled around the body in different shapes. Fabrics could be as large as 5.5 x 2.75 meters and most of the time were not fastened but heled under the arm which made it hard to do everyday chors in them.

Clothes were similar between different classes but what distinguished them from each other were the material that were used. They enjoyed bright colors and decorations like feathers, fringes, and embroidered designs. The also wore hats and gloves when the weather was cold. For special occations people often used cloaks and mantels.

Before the industrial revolution (that spanned over the year 1750-1900) fashion was a very valued craft. Textiles were weaved by hand and garments were also sew together manually. People didn’t have weaving machines or sewing machines. It was a very time-consuming labor to do all the different steps in the construction of a garment. People before the industrial revolution had to sew garments for their family members. Many families dividing the tasks of garment production between each other. For example, the women in one family weaved the fabric and then sent it to a neighbor that assembles and sew the garment. They did this so that they could divide the work between each other and could have time spare to do other household chores.

During the 17^th and 18^th century many things happened in the fashion industry that made it possible to industrialize. For example, “The Spinning Jenny” was invented by James Hargreaves. This tool made it possible to spin many yarn threads at the same time and significantly increased the production yarn. Another invention was the “Power loom” that was a big weaving tool that mechanized the process of weaving and made it possible to make a much faster and more consistent production of textiles.

Fashion also became much simpler witch made it much easier to mass produce garments. Since clothes were produced in a much faster pace. Fashion trends could then start changing faster aswell. All these advances have led to the start of the Fast fashion industry.

Today, it is crucial that the clothes and fabrics we create doesn’t harm our planet. Companies in the industry have gone from regular cotton use to eco-friendlier and natural alternatives. For example organic cotton, hemp, bamboo, linen and recycled fibers.

Overall, we can predict that consumers will be more educated towards eco-friendly alternatives to wear and the impact that the products we consume create on our planet. The future for sustainable fashion is to focus on ethical practices in their manufacturing processes, materials, afterlife and working conditions with their employees. The industry will be forced to adapt to a world where consumers are looking for those characteristics in a brand, otherwise their chances of surviving in the market will be low. Sustainable fashion will keep shaping our daily lives and daily choices. 

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