Disciplines
• Textile And Apparel Management
A global market: Clothing - both in
the United States and other cultures - is
often dictated or influenced by religious
belief. Understanding religious beliefs can
help a distributor or designer work within
those social mores on a local or global scale
while also creating a product that is unique
and worth buying. Some religions might object
to clothing made with certain types of fibers,
whereas others might criticize the way it
is worn. A background in religion helps a
person or company in this field navigate those
issues and ensure long-term profitability
and distribution goals as they seek to bring
a brand into the market.
Religion and textiles:
Religion has long had an impact on beliefs
about textiles and how they are used. For
example, the Old Testament banned wearing
garments woven of two kinds of material.
In Jewish law, it is forbidden to wear a
garment containing wool and linen. The Navajos
believe that the art of weaving was passed
on to them by Spider Woman, who spun thread
and wove on a loom made for her by her husband,
Spider Man, from earth and lightening bolts.
Many American Indian tribes are known for
weaving symbols about their tribal identities
or beliefs into textiles such as rugs and
blankets.
While black clothing is
a symbol of mourning and white is associated
with purity in many Western cultures, in
Hindu, Buddhist and many African beliefs,
white clothing is a sign of mourning. In
Islamic burial rituals, the body is wrapped
in a shroud of clean white cloth. Clothing
is also used to act out one's faith and
religious identity. Sikh and Hindu women
will often wear a sari, a decorated piece
of cloth wrapped around the body. Some Muslim
women wear "hijab," a cover worn
on the head, face or body, or more broadly
defined as clothing that communicates modesty,
privacy and morality.
A growing trend is modest
but fashionable clothing - particularly
for young women - that allows consumers
such as Muslims, Mormons and others to dress
in contemporary fashions while also fulfilling
religious beliefs about modesty. Research
could examine religion in terms of fashion
and values, the styles of clothing it dictates,
the process in which textiles are made,
and how textiles represent changing beliefs
and markets as well as traditions.
Economics and ethics:
Religion and ethics has been tied to textiles
throughout U.S. history. Slavery in the
South was tied to the labor that helped
people produce large amounts of cotton.
Later, it was the use of children and deplorable
working conditions in U.S. textile mils
during the industrial revolution. Today,
there are issues related to economic development
in other nations related to cheap textile
production. Nations such as the United States
pay low wages to textile workers in other
countries and buy textiles at inexpensive
costs to sell them at discount prices in
the United States, which can depress local
economies. The U.S. also has the ability
to depress other markets with cheap textiles,
an ethical issue for those attempting to
sell in other markets as well as a business
issue for those attempting to open new markets.
Current Issues:
An interesting movement in recent years
is the use of free-market trade to benefit
developing countries. One such company is
Edun, which uses profits from clothing sales
to benefit social causes and uses organic
fabrics. Another line, launched by Bono
of the rock band U2 and called "Red,"
uses profits from sales to help fund AIDS
treatment in African nations. Such "business
with a social conscience" enterprises
are becoming attractive to both investors
and those working in the industry, showing
that fashion sense does not have to be compromised
by social conscience.
Researchers have pointed
to the trend of consumers' desire to serve
social good, which gives those working in
textiles an opportunity to capture a new
market and make themselves distinct from
other clothing sellers by catering to this
movement. Research in this field could look
at the factors in this social trend, chart
its sustainability and help create new economies
of scale that would make this area profitable
while also accomplishing the supporters'
aims.
Material
Religion
Winterthur
Portfolio: A Journal of American Material
Culture
Religion
& the Arts
American
Academy of Religion Syllabi Search
Cultural
Perspectives in Dress and Textiles
Dr. Susan Torntore
Iowa State University
History
of Costume: Clothing and Culture
Annie O. Cleveland
University of Pittsburgh
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