History of Sewing

MECHANIZATION OF SPINNING, WEAVING AND SEWING - England Mid-1700s

Mechanization of yarn spinning and fabric weaving Growth in English cotton and wool textile industries European demand for textiles resulted in technological advancements in spinning and weaving Flying shuttle loom 1733, John Kay Spinning jenny 1764, James Hargreaves Water-powered spinning machine 1769, Sir Richard Arkwright Mechanized power loom 1785-87, Edmund Cartwright United States beginning cotton industry 1789 Samuel Slater came to U.S., memorized Arkwrights water-powered spinning technology. Set up yarn spinning mill in Rhode Island in 1791. 1813 Francis Cabot Lowell First American power loom. His factory was first in U.S. with completely mechanized fabric production from yarn spinning to woven cloth. 1794 Eli Whitney patented the cotton gin mechanized method for cleaning cotton. Fiber producers in the South were enabled to supply more cotton to textile mills in New England. More textile mills built in the South.

READY-TO-WEAR (RTW) IN THE 1700S:

Factors that enabled and facilitated the establishment of the American RTW industry: Laborers and military needed cheap, ready-made clothing Sewing machine inventors Walter Hunt, Elias Howe and Isaac Singer facilitated rapid, mechanized production of apparel Increasing demand for quality, ready-made apparel by middle-class consumers Sewing factories were built; mens ready-to-wear industry is established. Size standards for mens apparel existed in U.S. enabling ready-to-wear industry to grow.

SIZE STANDARDS

proportional increase or decrease in garment measurements for each garment size Invention of paper patterns Butterick, 1863, McCall, 1870 Mechanized cutting and pressing equipment in sewing factories

INCREASE IN DISTRIBUTION METHODS FOR RTW

Brooks Brothers first mens apparel store, 1818, NYC Development of department stores Lord & Taylor, Macys, Wanamakers and Marshall Fields Mail order catalogues offering RTW Sears, Roebuck & Co., Montgomery Ward

1890-1950:

GROWTH OF THE RTW INDUSTRY

The basis for the development of womens ready-to-wear was the popularity of wearing separates separate apparel pieces such as the blouse (shirtwaist) and skirt worn by urban working women Outerwear items were first mass-produced womens apparel RTW production was on two levels: 1. Less expensive apparel contracted to immigrant workers sewing in their homes (home factories) 2. Better quality apparel made in large, modern factories 1900 International ladies Garment Workers Union established to improve poor working conditions New York City becomes the hub of the garment industry with 7th Ave. the center for American fashion by the 1920s Wartime manufacturing of military uniforms necessitated developing more production efficiency Invention of the locker (the zipper) in 1893 Zippers became generally used in fashion apparel by 1930s Establishment of fashion magazines Vogue, published in U.S. in 1892, gave consumers the latest fashion information Glamour, 1939 and Mademoiselle, 1935 By the 1920s, mass-produced apparel was widely available Was the 1920s silhouette the result of apparel production methods and their capabilities and limitations OR was the boom in mass-produced RTW the result of the evolution of fashion Development of synthetic fibers Rayon, 1910 & Nylon by DuPont, 1930s expanded the materials out of which apparel and accessories could be made Development of sportswear industry in California in the 1930s American fashion trend toward casual clothing Consumer recognition of and demand for apparel brand names

1950-1980:

DIVERSIFICATION AND INCORPORATION

Factors that created changes in U.S. apparel and textile industries: Changes in the product mix demanded by consumers New developments in textile industry Increase in publicly owned apparel corporations Importance and visibility of American fashion designers Bill Blass, Halston, Norman Norell and Anne Klein Licensing their name for manufacture of other products Increased domestic labor costs, production outside U.S. Rise of discounters Target, WalMart & Kmart Vertical integration and buyouts by conglomerates Computer technology enters apparel and textile manufacturing

1980-PRESENT: THE ERA OF QUICK RESPONSE

Consumer demand for price, quality and service Demise of some dept. stores Increase in apparel imports U.S. manufacturers join together to examine ways to improve productivity Quick Response (QR) management systems and business strategies that create ways to increase efficiency (using technology) between fabric producers, apparel manufacturers and retailers and reduce the time between fiber production and sale of the product to the ultimate consumer QR changes production and distribution from the push system (supply side) to the pull system (demand side) QR business strategies include: CAD & CAM Bar codes Orders sent electronically

Courtesy of CSR 120 - FALL 2001 Chapter 1 Lecture Notes