The Couture Business During The Industrial Revolution

Technology brought the “ready-to-wear revolution” to the people. The spinning jenny and the power loom makes mass production of clothing effortless. Various clothing and sizes were now available to everyone. The value of clothing and jewelry declined due to overproduction.

The managers would unleash “passions, brought different forces into conflict, let the strong devour the weak, and grew fat on this battle of interest” (Zola, and Nelson 35). The stores revolutionized the market of commerce because the goods that were being sold were being sold cheaply and that angered the manufactures. The small trade stores began to lose most of their costumers to the department stores, causing them to go out of business and the competitors of the department stores would groan in fury. The main thing that the department store was trying to do was excite people’s interest, and “for that you must have an article that delights them—which causes a sensation. After that you can sell the other goods at prices as high as anywhere else, and they’ll still think yours are the cheapest” (Zola, and Nelson 39). The department stores excited anyone who entered the doors. It started a revolution among the women of Paris because the stores excited their interest.

The Industrial Revolution lasted between the eighteenth and ninetieth century. During this time, there was a constant growth, varying from growth in transportation, mining, machinery, technology and so much more. Europe was one of the first countries to have the opportunity to experience such growths. Europe was altered by the advent of the Revolution because it brought on improvements for the European middle class citizens. Being that most of Europe’s population was mostly the working class, farmers for example; now had machinery to plow lands, making the work much more effective. Europe’s upper class also profited from the Revolution. Being they were already wealthy and well known, they were able to invest in the improvements, which in turn

During the 19th century, the population of the United States was booming and the Industrial Revolution was in full swing. American industry was growing faster than any other nation in the world. Settlers from European territories flooded into the country in hopes of a better life (Lambert). The United States was doing things that had never been done before, and mistakes were made. The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory was a horrific incident that demonstrated the need for factory regulations. Many lessons can be learned from the factory, the fire, and the effect it had.

People indulge in clothes shopping every day and often do not consider the changes that occurred throughout time that led to the development of mass produced clothing for both men and women. As a result of the Civil War, the production of clothing shifted from homemade clothing to clothing mass produced in factories. After the Civil War, Urbanization along with new developments, such as advertising and the new, wealthy urban class, increased the demand for mass produced women’s clothing and clothing stores that made clothing readily available.

In the early to mid. 19th century, the world came to life with the introduction of machines that could create products in hours, compared to what it would take skilled craftsmen days to produce. These marvels began in Europe but soon found their way to the American shores. The very first textile mill was produced by an apprentice named Samuel Slater in 1790 after returning with the English secrets of the textile machinery still buzzing in his head (Wallace, 1985). Soon more factories began to rise up armed with the new technology. With the means to produce more products, railroads being built to ship vast amounts of goods between states and the mass amounts of wealth to be made during this revolution, what were once small rural farming towns

For the past hundred years the need for clothing increased since the number of people of keeps growing. As the years go on, producers must find new ways to produce more clothing to make more profit and keep up with demand. Before people would either have to ride all the way into town to have tailors make their clothes, or have someone at home make the clothing for them. But as the years progressed, methods have changed dramatically.

Ever since the beginning of the technology era, all unethical things have been glorified. Shootings, rape, kidnappings, and cheating seem to be all over the media today. However, they do not focus on what actually happened, but instead on who is the victim and who is the villain. Has sexism changed since 1692 and what beliefs about it stayed the same? Adultery, slut-shaming are examples of how sexism still prevail as an issue that women must face, however, the social effect today is still worse for women than men.

Queen Marie Antoinette started a fashion revolution in France when she began ordering and wearing muslin dresses from “the Americas.” Muslin dresses would have been plentiful during the 1780s when the Queen sought a simpler more comfortable wardrobe. In addition to this, the climate of the southern portion of New France and its islands caused an abundance of cotton to grow and foster a budding fabric industry.

Q1. What was the industrial revolution? When did it occur? How did industrialisation lead to the creation of the design profession? How was the industrial manufacturing of making products new and what role did the designer play in creating new products?

To understand most period and movements in modern art, one must first understand the context in which they occurred. When one looks at the various artistic styles, one will realize how artists react to historical and cultural changes and how artists perceive their relation to society.

The Industrial Revolution started in the late 1700s and early 1800s which helped the transition from agrarian to one of industrial. Before the factories were made, the common folk would work on the farms that would make the food that they would need to survive, and they would also make their own clothes. All the clothes and materials that the people had before the industrial revolution they would make themselves because there was no mass production of items being made and the people who would sell the items never had enough in their inventory for everyone to buy. Factories started to arise making it easier to mass produce items that the people wanted, like cloths and eventually everyday materials. Those factories and opportunities for work is why people moved into cities.( History.com)

     New beliefs in equality also made a major contribution to the new image in France. No longer did class separate the people. When the working class took over everything turned upside down. While ornate and colorful clothes had once been only for the nobles and upper class, the new attitudes of equality became commonplace in all society, and no limits were held including the limits on clothes. There was no longer a specific line between what people of each class could were. Now businessmen could dress like a noble, and a noble could even dress like a peasant. With the introduction of machines that could mass-produce clothes, the costs for even the most ornate items greatly dropped. For a long time suits, especially with three pieces were a sign of the richest and gentlemanly people of society. With the introduction of a new coat called the frock coat, “designed as part of a three piece suit” (Yarwood, 223), everything changed. Even the common men now had the ability to imitate the richer people of their society. While many times this would not be allowed, in order to keep a fine line between the classes, with the

The Industrial Revolution was the quintessence of capitalistic ideals; it bred controversy that led to Karl Marx’s idea of communism as a massive grass roots reaction to the revolution’s social abuses. Firstly, the Industrial Revolution featured the construction of machines, systems and factories that allowed goods to be manufactured at a faster rate with a lower cost. The seed drill made it so there could be “a semi-automated, controlled distribution and plantation of wheat seed”(Jones 2013). Secondly, there was a great social and economic divide between the wealthy owners and the poor workers, which gave rise to the mass’s vulnerability to the advent of extreme socialism. Figures of authority severely oppressed their employees by giving them insufficient pay, a treacherous work environment, and even making some children work more than 12 hours per day (Cranny 150). Finally, far right capitalism created a brutal boom and bust cycle of economics that made, for the multitude at the bottom, a perpetual nightmare of poverty and death. People responded to this social situation by taking part in violent protests; oppression sires rebellion. The Industrial Revolution was the chassis of great imagination and progress of political, economic, and social force that still affects this world today.

This essay will be considering the historical development of haute couture by analysing Charles Frederick Worth’s (father of haute couture) key factors in the success of haute Couture. I will then discuss Coco Chanel’s thriving impact on haute couture as well as ready-to-wear caused by the second world war. Saint Laurent’s drift to ready-to-wear and the high street fashion system will also be discussed in order to answer if haute couture is relevant in fashion today. The books I will be analysing and referencing are ‘A Cultural History of Fashion in the 20th Century’ by Bonnie English, ‘Couture’ by Ruth Lynam, ‘How Fashion Works’ by Gavin Waddell. Which will thoroughly breakdown the evolution and historical development of fashion by cultural, economic, environmental and social changes to finally come into a conclusion.