subject: Clothes Before Time [print this page] Man came onto this planet with the concept of modesty. Therefore we can see early man wearing clothes made out of materials like leaves, straw, feathers etc. What ever material was readily available was converted into piece of clothing.
Modesty is one aspect that man took care of in his purpose of wear clothes. There were reasons for wearing clothes too. For the early man clothes possessed magical qualities that made him powerful against the forces of Nature.
He could tolerate the rough weather beneath his clothing. Whether it was the harsh rays of the sun baking him down or the ultimately freezing points during the Ice Age, man found a shield underneath these layers. The early man was superstitious too and believed that by keeping themselves in clothing they were protected from evil spirits too.
Man had always wanted to look good too. This gave them the respect amongst the tribe and gained them mates. Therefore the clothes though indigenously designed were accessorised with beads and stones.
The process of making these clothes was pretty simple. The hides were scrapped and then holes were made out for sleeves and the neck. Strips of leather were used to help keep the garment on the body.
Gradually man learnt to make the animal hides softer and supple. Also later the man learnt to twist animal hair and wool into strands that could be converted into yarn for making clothes. The key tool for making clothes - the needle was developed forty or fifty thousand years ago.
From needle also developed the art of doing embroidery. Evidences of embroidered clothing have been found by archaeologists digging ancient Assyrian and Persian ruins. This centuries old art has also been mention in the Old Testament which describes the beauty of embroidery done by the Jews in ancient times.
The Egyptians learnt to weave and wore light cotton fabrics made out of the cotton that grew on the banks of River Nile. It is very surprising to note that right up to the nineteenth century it was very common for people to wear the same clothes day and night until the clothes wore out. Another interest fact is much later in history right down to the medieval times in Paris clothing manufacturers, used to send dolls dressed in the latest fashion to promote their work to cities and courts all over Europe.
