50 Fascinating Facts About Fashion

  1. In the United States, each person owns an average of seven pairs of blue jeans. That’s one for every day of the week!
  2. Men have been wearing shorts for decades, but women were only allowed to wear them in public after World War II. One of the main reasons for this was because less fabric was available during the war, so shorts were more cost-effective than pants or skirts.
  3. The T-shirt is one of the most popular items of clothing in the world, and around two billion of them are sold every single year.
  4. Historically, purple clothes were only worn by magistrates, emperors and other aristocracy in Rome, Italy.
  5. The loincloth is the oldest item of clothing, but the second oldest is the skirt – an item which is still very popular today.
  6. Thousands of fashion magazines are sold every year, but the first ever fashion magazine was sold in Germany in 1586.
  7. While lots of things are increasing in price, clothing is actually decreasing. Since 1992, the price of clothes has gone down by 8.5%.
  8. In 1907, a woman was arrested on a beach in Boston for wearing a one-piece swimsuit.
  9. Bras have been through different styles over the years, but you can now purchase a bra that can also be used as a gas mask.
  10. On the subject of bras, the famous author Mark Twain (who wrote The Adventures of Tom Sawyer) was the inventor of the bra clasp.
  11. The record for the world’s longest wedding dress is held by a dress which has a 1.85 mile long train.
  12. Levi’s jeans are one of the most popular brands of jeans. Although you might pay a hefty price for a pair now, the first pair sold for $6 worth of gold dust back in 1853.
  13. High heels are nothing new to the world. In the 18th century, they were fashionable even for children.
  14. Ralph Lauren’s real name was Ralph Lifshitz.
  15. Michael Kors’ first project was his own mother’s wedding dress. He was a mere 5 years old at the time.
  16. The “little black dress” was compared to the Ford car when it first came along in 1926, since it was practical and simple.
  17. Many companies try to be an ethical and environmentally-friendly as possible, but Stella McCartney bags went a step further and are made out of corn.
  18. Up until the beginning of the 19th century, models were not used to showcase clothes. Fashion companies would use dolls instead.
  19. Harry Winston was the designer of the most expensive shoes in the world. The red ruby slippers he designed sold for $3 million.
  20. Queen Juana, from Portugal, wore the first hoop skirt in a bid to hide the fact she was pregnant.
  21. In the Middle Ages, poorer people would wear mittens, while the richer would wore gloves to show off their wealth.
  22. You can’t go out these days without seeing a shopping center, thanks to the ancient Romans who built the very first one.
  23. The famous Lacoste crocodile created in 1933, and was the first designer logo ever.
  24. There is a rumor that the company Louis Vuitton burns any old stock to keep a tight hold on its exclusivity.
  25. Marc Jacobs, famous for his many perfumes, has a Sponge Bob Square Pants tattoo, among 27 others.
  26. Gucci manufactured a pair of jeans named the Gucci Genius Jeans. They sold for a staggering $3,134.
  27. An unlikely person to be associated with the fashion world, Napoleon invented the buttons for sleeves after his soldiers kept wiping their noses on their button-free clothes. Ew!
  28. Doc Martens come in all different colors and sizes now, but the first pair was created using old tires.
  29. W. Griffith, producer of silent movies in Hollywood, thought that actresses’ eyes could look a little better. He went ahead and created the first fake eyelashes.
  30. Although Fashion Week in Paris has been taking place for some time, New York Fashion Week made its debut in 1943. The Americans wanted to start making waves in the world of fashion, rather than watching France take all the glory.
  31. Did you know that round about 200 jeans can be made out of using only one bale of cotton? I know it is surprising, but isn’t it good for all those people who love to wear jeans all the time
  32. Are you in love with hip-hop fashion, if yes, then you are for sure, in love with baggy style pants too. Are you aware about the origin of these baggy style pants? Well, these pants originated from Los Angeles, did I mention from the prison of LA? The prisoners were not allowed to wear belts, so they used to wear baggy pants.
  33. We are not the only ones who use perfumes; they were used from the Egyptian Era. Yes, they used perfumes not to smell good, but they were used in religious rituals.
  34. Nowadays, we go to the parlours to set eyebrows, and the bushy eyebrows are in trend. Did you know that the fashionistas during the Renaissance period used to shave their eyebrows?
  35. Genoan sailors were known colloquially as “Genes” and wore cotton pants, which is where we get the word “jeans” from.
  36. The word “gymnos” means “naked” in Greek, which gives us our word “gym” or “gymnasium,” due to the fact that Ancient Greeks used to exercise naked.
  37. In the 1950s, the average American household spent 11.5% of their income on clothing. Nowadays, Americans use around 3.5% of their income for clothes.
  38. Queen Victoria was the first person to wear a white wedding dress. Prior to this, white had been used as a color of mourning.
  39. However, the Chinese people still use white as a color for mourning. In the West, it now symbolizes purity.
  40. It is thought that the average woman will buy 145 bags during her lifetime.
  41. The most common materials for manufacturing clothing are linen, cotton and polyester.
  42. Metal needles are relatively new, but 30,000 years ago, they were being made from animal bones.
  43. Walter Hunt, a man from America, invented the safety pin back in 1849.
  44. Children wore the same styles as adults up until the 1500’s, when new trends appeared specifically for children.
  45. In the Western world, skirts and dresses are mainly reserved for women, but in other areas of the world, both sexes wear them equally as often.
  46. Lots of women have a problem with the fit of clothing on the high street – this is because they are designed for those between 5’4 and 5’8.
  47. In the year 200, the Romans created different shoes for the left and right feet.
  48. Eyeliner was discovered in the most unlikely of places – King Tutankhamun’s tomb! Since the 1920’s, it has been a very popular item in every woman’s makeup bag.
  49. No wonder those at the top of the fashion world are so wealthy – the industry sees an annual revenue of more than $20 billion.
  50. Technically, items are only “vintage” if they were made more than sixty but less than a hundred years ago.