The Evolution of Clothing Manufacturing: From Handmade to Automation
Every garment goes through a journey – from the initial concept to your closet. While the pit stops (factory, stores, your home) in this journey have remained the same, the roads (processes) have become quite better. Struggling to understand what we are saying? Let us make it simple for you! Earlier, garment production was a highly labor-intensive process where skilled artisans showed their crafts with basic tools. Cut to today, cloth manufacturing is an automated process with high levels of precision.
If you are interested in knowing more about it, read this blog till the end and find out how things have changed over the centuries.
The Early Days
For most of the early days, clothes were completely handmade. Skilled seamstresses and artisans would use fabrics like wool, silk, and linen and transform them into beautiful garments for men and women. The garments had stunning embellishments and embroidery, all done by hand using thread, scissors, and a few sewing needles. Can you believe that?
Plus, you could just tell by looking at the clothes, their fabric, and embroidery, whether the person belonged to royalty or the general public. This is because different types of garments highlighted the wearer's identity, status, and culture.
However, since the process was quite labor-intensive, this craft was limited to a specific individual, local community, or just family members for most of the time.
The Emergence Of Silk Route
The exchange of ideas between Asia and Europe happened, all thanks to the Silk Route. This vast route allowed travelers, artisans, and merchants to discover new techniques of craftsmanship and diverse cultures as they interacted with each other.
Then, these learnings were implemented with local twists in their own regions. This led to the emergence of new designs and patterns. But this is not all. The Silk Route also became an important part of trade between continents, providing a global network to people who were skilled in cloth manufacturing.
The Industrial Revolution
If you ask us about the turning point in the cloth manufacturing business, we would say the Industrial Revolution in the 18th and 19th centuries. This was an era when the world saw new tools like spinning jenny, sewing machines, and power looms. Garment production became faster and less reliant on manual labor.
This was the same time when ready-to-wear fashion took the world by storm. There was no need for people to go to their tailors, give measurements, and get custom-made garments. Now, they could get ready-to-wear clothing available in their sizes from stores. Mass production of clothes led to standardization in size and styles and the fashion world saw a new day!
The Rise Of Fast Fashion and Globalization
Coming to the 20th century, the world saw more shifts in the way clothing was viewed and produced. Globalization opened up channels for countries with better transportation and communication. Now, cloth production could be outsourced to developing and underdeveloped countries where labor was cheap. In simple terms, this meant that a manufacturer could reach customers worldwide!
Another dominant force in the industry was fast fashion. People wanted runway clothes at inexpensive prices. Fast fashion brands came up and used assembly-line techniques and just-in-time production methods to meet this ever-growing demand for fashion at affordable rates. But all was not good here! Fast fashion also meant concerns about labor safety, job security, and environmental depletion.
The 21st Century
There is no full stop yet when it comes to advancements in cloth manufacturing. With the fashion industry being at a crossroads between efficiency and sustainability, new innovations are required. Keeping all this in mind, let us see some of the advancements that are taking place:
1. Robotics In Textile: Basic tasks like cutting, sewing, and quality control have been done by robots for quite some time now. But there are other areas where now you can see their use. This includes sewing 3D elements, fabric testing, drawing and printing, laser welding, and bale handling.
2. Smart Fabrics: Another interesting invention in the 21st century is smart fabrics. What if your socks could tell you your steps? Sounds astonishing, right? Tech is being incorporated into your garments to provide functions like monitoring health, regulating body temperature, and moisture-wicking.
3. Sustainable Practices: There is a growing concern about the environment among the GenZ and Millenials. Brands have acknowledged this concern too! They are now using raw materials like recycled polyester, organic cotton, and food waste to make new and stylish garments.
4. Circular Fashion: The idea of a circular economy is gaining traction. Manufacturers are focusing on garments that can be upcycled, recycled, and reused to keep the waste at the bare minimum.
Conclusion
When new demands come up, the processes change! The evolution of clothing manufacturing is a true example of the same. Be it cost reduction, growing consumer needs, or improved efficiency, all of this has led to shifts in technological advancements and the economy. As we look ahead, one can only say that technology and automation will make up a major part of the manufacturing process with handmade products being a rarity.