Importance Of Textiles

Textiles have been a vital part of society all over world. When one first thinks of textiles they might imagine just fibers woven together, a body covering, a simple part of everyday life. In fact, textiles are much more than that. Textiles are a form of art, usually with an important meaning. There are many different versions of textile designs ranging from simple weaves, to delicate embroidery, to hand painted cloths, and many more. Each culture has their own distinct vision of what their textiles should look like. It is clear that textiles have and continue to be used as a representation of a culture’s beliefs and traditions all around the world, no matter the economic status of a nation. Textiles have been connected with religion, mythology, philosophy and family bonds; these are just a few examples of the powerful meanings hidden behind the simple woven fibers. In this paper, I will argue that textiles hold important meanings through specific textiles and garments from around the world.

Textiles hold countless meanings. In an interview conducted with Desiree Koslin, an art historian and a textile history Professor at the Fashion Institute of Technology, the importance of textiles was examined. Koslin argues that “textiles are used on the living body in so many ways, as uniform, as status symbol, as profession, and also on the dead body, of course, as well as receptacle of holy things, as back drop for rituals.” With examples from all over the world, it can be seen that textiles are much more than a simple part of everyday life. I am arguing that textiles are important documents of history and society that hold important meaning.

Western Europe can be associated with beautiful and intricate textile workings. Starting i...

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... are such a large part of the visual representation of meaning in their culture that without, a piece of their heritage is gone.

Through the above examples, it can be seen how textiles are not just fibers woven together but another form of art that represents beliefs and traditions and holds important cultural meaning. It seems as though, before industrialization, and extreme advances in textile production, there was a greater passion and customization to create meaningful textiles. Almost all of the examples that I used in this essay were from hundreds of years in the past. Today, art, history and textile expert, Desiree Koslin believes textiles “still carry meaning… although people may have forgotten to original ways and means.” Textiles have and will continue to be more than just fibers woven together but symbols of diverse and deep history and tradition.