The majority of the innovations were related to fiber extraction and processing, as well as fabric manufacturing and sewing machines. Over the centuries, numerous technological advancements in machinery have revolutionized the fashion industry. Semiautomatic Spinning Frame, SWA1840/1840 (From the collection of Deutsches Museum) Suddenly, it was possible to produce identical copies of clothing hundreds or thousands of times. With the introduction of steam energy during the 1st Industrial Revolution the textile industry gained unprecedented productivity and agility, scaling up production.

The invention of semi-automatic spinning machines, from the first spinning wheel invented in India passing through the spinning jenny created by James Hargreaves in 1767 to the invention of power loom by Edmund Cartwright in 1785, created industrial textile production as we know it today.

Textile processing tools made of wood or bone were used for combing, braiding, or cutting fibers into yarns and later into fabrics for the manufacture of clothing.Īs the knotting and braiding process was extremely time-consuming and limited, our ancestors learned to spin which made it possible to create greater amounts of yarn in less time and with higher quality and complexity. The level of sophistication required to succeed at this endeavor established it as craftsman’s work.Īs expected, the first technological advances in the textile industry were directed towards the processing and production of textile fibers. It is a complex, time-consuming craft that requires expertise and dedication. It takes a lot of labor and skill to transform these raw materials into individual strands and tie them together to produce fabrics. ‍ Textile manufacturing began with the development of technology and techniques for processing plant and animal fibers, such as flax, wool, or cotton, into fabrics. Spinning and weaving implements, Unknown, Pre-Pottery Neolithic B, 9000 years ago (From the collection of The Israel Museum, Jerusalem) Fashion Manufacturing: From Craft Art to Global Industry There is some merit to the cherished philosophy ‘if it ain’t broke don’t fix it’, but as we’ll explain below, there are indeed some areas in need of fixing. The design process, however, has remained mostly unchanged until the 21st century. The advent of new technologies and machineries has helped to enhance the supply chain and scale the production of fashion goods. For many centuries passing through four Industry Revolutions, fashion has evolved from a craft to one of the most powerful industries in the entire world. So, it is no surprise that knowledge, technology, and design are the three pillars of fashion as well. As Steve Jobs brilliantly observed, 'design is the fundamental soul of a man-made creation'.

Everything that humans have created has a design. Yes, you read it right: design! The prehistoric human believed that drawing gave him ownership of what he drew. Even today it is through knowledge, technology and design that human culture and history progress. Knowledge, technology, and design are the three fundamental pillars of human development. Technology enabled us to transform natural resources into all the things we needed to survive and progress and allowed us to expand our civilization. It was through the cultivation and exploitation of natural resources, such as vegetables and animals that we were able to gradually leave behind the nomadic lifestyle and settle in one place, building cities to live together in communities. We can say without much reservation that the genesis of the apparel industry is as old as agriculture or at least its contemporary. Clothes have the primary utility of sustaining us by protecting our bodies from cold weather to keep us alive.Ĭlothing manufacturing is one of the oldest crafts. With the aid of tools, primitive humans developed agriculture and hunting, turning the natural resources they collected from nature into food and clothing and all kinds of supplies they needed to survive. Our survival instinct has compelled us to expand our knowledge and to create the means to master our physical environment. Our species has always been able to change its relationship and establish its dominance over nature by developing new technologies and knowledge. As we know, the history of humankind is told through its technological and cultural development.

Clothing manufacturing