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FastFacts for textiles

  • If we changed the way the UK supplies, uses and disposes of clothing, we could reduce the carbon, water and waste footprints of clothing consumption by 10-20% each. This could cut around £3billion per year from the cost of the resources we use to make and clean clothes.
  • Around £140 million worth (350,000 tonnes) of used clothing goes to landfill in the UK every year
  • More than 30% of our unwanted clothing currently goes to landfill
  • In the UK, we send 700,000 tonnes of clothing to be re-used or recycled each year – enough to fill 459 Olympic-size swimming pools
  • 57% of people say they recycle their textiles
  • 41% of people say they’re not aware of recycling facilities for textiles
  • More than 60% of householders in the UK say they have unwanted clothes and textiles stored in their homes
  • In 2010, we threw out an estimated £238m-worth of textiles for waste collection and sent to landfill – but all of this could have been re-used, recycled or sent for energy recovery
  • Around 370,000 tonnes of carpet is disposed of in landfill every year
  • We ‘consume’ 169,000 tonnes of mattresses a year but only 25,000 tonnes is recovered
  • In 2010 we could have recovered 84,500 tonnes of steel from discarded mattresses for recycling or energy recovery

71 Mind-Blowing Facts About The Clothes You’re Wearing

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1. There is a bra that doubles as a gas mask. It’s meant to be snapped off and put over the mouth in the event of an emergency.

2. It was Mark Twain (yes, that Mark Twain) who actually invented and patentedthe bra-strap clasp.

3. When Disneyland opened in 1955, it had a lingerie store right on Main Street, called Hollywood-Maxwell Intimate Apparel. It included an animatronic figure called the Wizard of Bras. WHAT?

4. Actress Julie Newmar, who starred as the original Catwoman, actually holds the patent for “pantyhose with shaping band for cheeky derriere relief,” a forerunner to Spanx. She was granted the patent in 1975.

5. According to Icelandic folklore, if you don’t get new clothes to wear for Christmas, there is a giant Yule Cat that will eat you.

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6. Up until the 19th century, children were dressed as miniature adults.

7. Up until around 1910, it was totally common for little boys to wear dresses until they were around 5 or 6.

8. The inventor of the modern bikini, Louis Réard, named his creation after the Bikini Atoll — where the U.S. did tons of its nuclear testing — because he hoped it would make as big of a bang as the atomic bomb. Réard declared it wasn’t a real bikini unless the fabric from it could be “pulled through a wedding ring.”

9. After its modern debut, the bikini was banned in Belgium, Italy, Spain, and Australia, and it was declared a sin by the Vatican.

10. A woman was actually arrested in Boston in 1907 for wearing a formfitting one-piece on the beach.

11. Bathing suits were so scandalous that the Quakers created a bathing machine with a “modesty tunnel” that allowed women to enter the sea or ocean and retain their modesty.

Underwood Archives / Getty Images

12. Designer Rudi Gernreich took the bikini to the next level in the 1960s with the monokini, which was a one-piece swimsuit with a completely exposed top.

13. Barbie’s first outfit? A black-and-white striped one-piece swimsuit.

14. Princess Leia’s bikini in Star Wars — probably the most famous bikini in the world — was actually two. She had a real metal one she wore for much of filming, and then a rubber one she wore during action scenes. There’s a whole website devoted to her bikini.

15. You can thank former New York Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia for popularizing the modern-day thong. He introduced it in 1939 to make NYC’s nude dancers cover up a little bit.

Keystone/Hulton Archive / Via Getty Images

16. The first miniskirt was unveiled by designer André Courreges in 1965. It ended a modest four inches above the knee.

17. During the 1860s, dresses were so wide that women were often stuck in doorways.

18. South Korea used to have actual fashion police who would go around measuring the miniskirt length of women. If skirts were deemed too short, they could be fined or arrested.

19. A man designed GPS-programmable shoes that are activated by — you guessed it — clicking your heels together three times.

20. Michael Jordan’s dad, James Jordan, was murdered by a guy wearing a Michael Jordan T-shirt.

21. After a student was suspended for wearing one of their tees, the band Korngave away hundreds of their shirts to a Michigan high school. Police actually helped hand out the tees.

22. Men didn’t wear underwear until the 17th century. Women didn’t bother wearing underwear until around 1800.

23. Bill Nye the Science Guy owns a patent for ballet pointe shoes.

24. The world’s longest wedding dress has a train that’s 1.85 miles long. It required approximately three miles of taffeta and 18 feet of lace to produce. Crazy.

25. Before Queen Victoria’s white wedding, white was a color traditionally associated with mourning.

26. Speaking of weird queen things, in 1571, Queen Elizabeth I decreed that all women over the age of 7 had to wear hats on Sunday. OK…

27. Marie Antoinette was actually super modest and wore a high-cut flannel gown while bathing so nobody could catch a glimpse of her naughty bits.

Pavelle Jacobs/Hulton Archives / Via Getty Images

28. Jeans were named after Genoan sailors from Genoa, Italy, who popularized wearing the material.

29. The word “denim” most likely came from a French material called serge de Nimes, which is from the French seaside town of Nimes.

30. The first pair of Levi’s was sold around 1853 for $6 worth of gold dust.

31. The brand got its distinctive 501 label from the storage lot number it was assigned in 1890. It just stuck.

32. Levi’s once made the singer Bing Crosby an all-denim tuxedo after he was turned away from a hotel for wearing jeans.

Arne Hendricks / Via Flickr: 31774856@N00

33. Platform shoes are nothing new: Chopines, which were popular across Europe and Asia since the 16th century, were outrageous platform shoes that offered a platform of anywhere from 6 to 24 inches. They were the predecessor to the modern-day high heel.

34. Greek prostitutes had sayings etched into the bottoms of their shoes like “follow me” (that would show up in the sand) to attract customers.

35. The first high heels were worn by both men and women. Men wore them because the heel allowed for extra stability when riding horses — it kept the foot secure in stirrups. By around 1740, the trend had died out.

36. In the 18th century, even children wore high heels.

37. In the 1670s, Louis XIV decreed that only members of the royal court were allowed to wear red heels. It was an easy way to distinguish someone of the upper classes from a commoner.

38. The Russian military only started wearing socks in 2007. (Before that they’d just wrap pieces of cloth around their feet.)

39. In 1909, the U.S. Navy banned naked lady tattoos on service member’s arms. In order to join the Navy, men had to have clothes tattooed on their nude bodies.

40. There’s a sock company that sells “sock jars” — slightly mismatched collections of socks — with the idea that you’re probably going to lose your matching pair anyway.

Evening Standard/Hulton Archive / Via Getty Images

41. The YKK you see on most zippers? It stands for Yoshida Kogyo Kabushikikaisha, which roughly translates to the Yoshida Company Limited. YKK is the most popular zipper maker in the world.

42. Victorian men used to wear locks of their lover’s pubic hair in their hats as mementos.

43. Napoleon had brass buttons sewn on the sleeves of his soldiers’ uniforms to discourage them from wiping their noses on their uniforms.

44. Edward Jones might have been the first celeb stalker: He got caught trying to steal Queen Victoria’s underwear four times, and was sent to live in a penal colony in Australia.

45. Up until 2001, Disney employees weren’t allowed to wear their own underwear under their costumes, and had to share Disney-issued undergarments. But after several employees complained they got pubic lice and reported stained undies, the company changed their policy.

Keystone / Getty Images

46. The Hermès Birkin bag is named after singer Jane Birkin. The most recent singer to get a bag named after her? Lana del Rey, for whom Mulberry named the “Del Rey” in 2012.

47. Ralph Lauren — real name Ralph Lifshitz — started out as a tie designer.

48. Speaking of, a tie fanatic, or collector, is called a grabologist.

49. Michael Kors began designing when he was just 5; he designed his mom’swedding dress for her second wedding.

50. Panties and a bra that was flushed down a toilet caused the collapse of a sewer system in Northern England, which caused damage to more than 20 homes.

51. Ever wonder where your missing baggage ends up? There’s an Unclaimed Baggage Store in Scottsboro, Ala., that sells whatever isn’t picked up.

Evening Standard/Hulton archive / Via Getty Images

52. Coco Chanel invented the concept of “costume jewelry” by creating designs that mixed fake pearls and stones with real pearls and diamonds. Chanel is also credited with inventing the “little black dress.”

53. People used to wear live chameleons as brooches in the late 1800s. They’d pin them to their lapels like regular jewelry.

54. On average, people in Manhattan spend the most on apparel per month — $362. For comparison, shoppers in Tucson, Ariz., spend the least — $131.

55. The spacesuits worn by Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were actually created by bra maker Playtex.

56. According to astronaut Chris Hadfield, astronauts don’t bother doing laundry in space. Instead they just throw their dirty laundry out into the earth’s atmosphere, where it gets incinerated.

Michael Stewart / Getty Images

57. Abercrombie & Fitch actually offered Jersey Shore’s Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino money to stop wearing its clothes because the company felt he was ruining its reputation.

58. Lacoste’s little embroidered crocodile was the first-ever designer logo. He created and manufactured it in 1933.

59. Prior to the 19th century, designers used dolls to showcase their designs instead of models.

60. The first fashion magazine was published in 1678, in France (of course). It was called Le Mercure Galant and aimed at male readers. A female fashion mag followed 16 years later.

Astrid Stawiarz / Getty Images

61. The most expensive pair of shoes are the ruby slippers designed by Harry Winston, inspired by the ones Dorothy wore in The Wizard of Oz. They cost a cool$3 million.

62. Speaking of those red slippers, someone actually stole the originals from a museum in Minnesota in 2005. Not cool.

63. Victorian detachable men’s collars were so tight that guys sometimes asphyxiated from wearing them, which is how they got the nickname “father killers.”

64. Victorian women would often wrap themselves in wet muslin so that their dresses would fit as snugly as possible. The downside? They’d often get sick and sometimes die. Doctors at the time blame the practice for an outbreak of influenza in Paris.

65. Pink for girls and blue for boys is a relatively new phenomenon: A 1918 catalog advised blue for girls because it was a “much more delicate and dainty tone” and pink for boys because “it’s a stronger and more passionate color, and because it’s actually derived from red.”

66. Romans loved Phallus jewelry. Ancient Romans wore penis charms on necklaces or hung them in doorways to ward off evil spirits.

67. The first shopping mall to sell clothes was built in ancient Rome.

Frank Micelotta / Getty Images

68. The most expensive bra ever made is the Heavenly Star Bra, which was created by Victoria’s Secret in 2001. It’s valued at $12.5 million and has 1,200 Sri Lankan pink sapphires and as its centerpiece a 90-carat emerald-cut diamond worth $10.6 million.

69. The world’s largest bra has a size 1222B cup. It was created to raise money for breast cancer awareness.

70. It was apparently in vogue among Victorian women to pierce their nipples. After they were pierced, a gold “bosom ring” was inserted into the nipple, and sometimes a chain between the two nipples was also worn. Hmmm….

71. Oh, boobs: Two women died in 1999 after being struck by lightning. Their underwire bras acted as electricity conductors and transferred the current between the two women.

30 Fascinating Facts About Fashion Psychology

Do you regard clothing as something that keeps you warm and looking good?
Think again.

What you wear affects you psychologically. It can profoundly alter your mood. It also influences how others respond to you. And the visual illusion created by cut and fabric dramatically changes the appearance of your body. Your clothes can affect your job prospects, your love life and even your self-image.

In my book Mind What You Wear: The Psychology of Fashion I explore the intriguing science behind fashion psychology. Here I’ve pulled off 30 facts (all based on research) that’ll make you stop and think again about what you wear tomorrow:

  1. People who dress like the boss are more likely to be appointed and get promoted quicker.
  2. Men are more likely to approach a women for a date if she is wearing red.
  3. People show more mental agility when wearing a white coat they believe is a doctor’s, but not if they are told it’s a painter’s coat.
  4. Women dress more provocatively when ovulating i.e. when at their most fertile.
  5. Nine out of ten women own at least one item of clothing they have never worn. This is true of only a third of men.
  6. Runners are more likely to greet other runners who are wearing similar kit.
  7. Wearing all one colour blurs the dividing lines and make the body look slimmer.
  8. People stand further away from others who wear dated or unfashionable dress.
  9. Women are twice as likely to wear jeans when depressed than when happy.
  10. Provocatively dressed women are judged as being less competent than those who cover up.
  11. Patients put more trust in a doctor who wears a white coat.
  12. A man in a tailor-made suit is thought to be more confident and more trustworthy than a man in an off-the-peg suit.
  13. The human eye takes longer to travel across patterned fabrics, this makes the body appear larger.
  14. People think they are physically stronger when wearing a Superman t-shirt.
  15. A female job candidate who is dressed in a masculine style is more likely to get appointed than one who is over-feminised.
  16. Women perform worse on a maths test if wearing a swimsuit than in a sweater.
  17. Diagonal lines placed on the body in the form of clothing detail or fabric create a slimmer illusion.
  18. Women are twice as likely as men to own more then ten pairs of shoes.
  19. Dress sense is what men notice first in a woman (before face and body). Women notice face, smile and eyes first in a man.
  20. Offenders receive a harsher sentence in court if they are wearing black.
  21. Dressing in a uniform associated with brutality unleashes aggressive behaviours.
  22. Most women wear less than half of the clothes they own, this is true of only one in five men.
  23. People are more willing to give money to someone whose dress style resembles their own.
  24. Vertical lines on clothing create a longer illusion, but curves or bumps interrupting the lines create the opposite effect.
  25. Men check themselves in a mirror or reflection twice as often as women.
  26. People walk faster when approaching someone wearing red than wearing blue.
  27. A wide shoulder line creates a visual illusion that offsets wide hips.
  28. After trying on clothing men are more than twice as likely as women to buy.
  29. Clothes in the future will be able to transmit a physical hug.
  30. Choosing the right clothes can make a person less anxious and less depressed.

10 Facts About The UK Fashion And Textiles Industry You Didn’t Know

Sure, you love fashion. But did you know how big the fashion and textiles industry in the UK actually is? Here’s 10 need-to-know facts about our most stylish sector…

Michael Van Der Ham: Runway - London Fashion Week AW14

1. It employs and champions loads of women! 70% of people who work in the UK fashion industry are female and half of all workers are under the age of 30.

2. It contributes an impressive £21 billion to the British economy, according to the‘Value of the UK Fashion Industry’ report commissioned by the British Fashion Council.

3. In total, approximately 816,000 people work in the UK fashion industry.

4. It makes a lot of money. At London Fashion Week alone, orders of £100million are place each season.
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5. It has continued to grow, despite out faltering economy. Sales of UK designer fashion have risen by around 20% a year in the last decade and currently sit between £2.5 and £2.9 billion.

6. The supply and manufacturing side of the UK fashion and textiles sectors makes £11.8 billion a year AND makes up for 79,000 businesses and 340,000 jobs.

7. Wages in the UK fashion education sector reached £16 million in 2009.

8. It takes British creativity all over the world. Fore example, a record 321 British womenswear, accessory and shoe designers exhibited in Paris during March 2014 as part of Paris Fashion Week.

9. We want what it has to offer. British shoppers spend almost £55 billion a year on the high street.

10. The UK is the third-largest fashion employer in the EU surpassed only by Italy and Germany.

Sources: The ‘Value of the UK Fashion Industry’ report commissioned by the British Fashion Council, TheManufacturer.com, UK Fashion and Textile Association.