MATERIALS · MOTIFS · TECHNIQUES

Follow cloth into clothing,
through working hands.

Move beyond fibre labels to record raw material, yarn, dye, weave, tailoring, care, trade and labour as one route.

FROM SOURCE TO AFTERLIFE

Seven points in a garment’s journey.

STARTER GLOSSARY

A photograph alone does not prove fibre content; labels, museum records and maker documentation increase confidence.

Fleece → yarn → knit or weave → garment

Finish, twist and weave density matter as much as warmth.

Fibre → sorting → spinning → brushed knit

A material trail begun with the Santa Rosa look, separating pile from fibre content.

Cultivation → yarn → weave → dye or print

An everyday fibre inseparable from trade, colonial power and labour history.

Ground cloth → pile → cutting → brushing

Wale width, light direction and wear can strongly shift its photographed colour.

Dense cotton → waxing → construction → reproofing

An example of outerwear maintained through reproofing rather than disposal.

Raw material → compound → moulding → vulcanisation

For Wellington boots, waterproofing, opening and sole matter alongside silhouette.