Ever wondered about where clothes originated from? Whilst, as consumers in the 20th century, it appears we live in a disposable society, where clothes are purchased without sight, from the otherside of the world, worn once, and discarded!
The first clothes were made from natural elements: animal skin and furs, grasses and leaves, and bones and shells. Clothing was often draped or tied; however, simple needles made out of animal bone provide evidence of sewn leather and fur garments from at least 30,000 years ago.
In 2005, I joined forces with a very dear friend, passionate on the uses and sharing of the knowledge of Hemp. Being a passionate seamstress & embroiderer myself, I immediately connected with Hemp &, hence, never looked back on my choice of fabric to withstand the wear and tear through time of my precious pieces of art. Together, we set up a stall in the Original Market in Kuranda, selling and sharing knowledge of Hemp products.
In ancient China, the bast fiber of the male plant was used to spin yarn and weave cloth. Until cotton was introduced into China during the Northern Song dynasty (960 AD-1127 AD), hemp was the dominant cloth throughout society. Many of the accounts of hemp use for textiles contained in the ancient Chinese texts have been corroborated by archeological discoveries of rope and burial cloth. During the Western Zhou dynasty (1100 BC-771 BC)
hats, shoes and robes were made from high-quality hemp, with the fine and strong nature of the fiber providing evidence of the advanced development of these ancient civilisations.
Once developed as an industrialized crop in China, hemp was later introduced to Europe along the Silk Road where it was traded in the Mediterranean countries across the Middle Ages. In the 16th century, it reached Chile, and later traveled to North America. Now, hemp is grown around the world because it is a year-round crop that grows quickly and easily in temperate climates, with no need for excessive chemical fertilizers, irrigation and pesticides.
Unfortunately, the use of hemp reached its peak in the 18th century – after the industrial revolution, the development of cotton along with industrialized agribusiness, other materials were favored for fabric and paper. But hemp is still just as versatile and strong, and in the fight against climate change and ecological breakdown, hemp could be a key to unlocking sustainable and regenerative production.