Fashion History: fun facts and quiz

In 1873, Levi Strauss and tailor Jacob Davis patented work trousers strengthened with copper rivets. Made for miners, jeans became a worldwide staple.

Key fact
The tiny front pocket was first meant for pocket watches.

In 1926, Vogue hailed Coco Chanel’s simple black dress as a uniform for all women. Before then, black had mostly meant mourning.

Key fact
Vogue compared it to Ford’s Model T: simple, and for everyone.

The T-shirt started as an undershirt, issued to the US Navy in the early 1900s. Films in the 1950s, with stars like Marlon Brando, made it cool on its own.

Key fact
It’s named after its T shape.

Rubber-soled canvas shoes spread in the early 1900s. Converse All Stars appeared in 1917, and basketball later turned trainers into fashion.

Key fact
“Sneakers” got their name because rubber soles are quiet.

In the 1960s, the miniskirt became a symbol of youth and change, popularised by London designer Mary Quant.

Key fact
Quant said she named it after her favourite car, the Mini.

Haute couture means high-end, made-to-measure fashion. Charles Frederick Worth, in 1850s Paris, was among the first to sign his designs like an artist.

Key fact
Paris still sets the official rules for couture houses.

Fast fashion copies catwalk trends in weeks and sells them cheaply. It made clothes affordable, but it creates huge amounts of textile waste.

Key fact
Clothing production roughly doubled between 2000 and 2014.