Nonfiction

Worn

Worn

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  • Create Date：2023-02-28 09:51:37
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Sofi Thanhauser
  • ISBN：0141990317
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Summary

'This riveting behind-the-scenes story of the clothes on our backs is a must-read for clotheshorses everywhere' Harper's Bazaar

'Extraordinary 。 。 。 fascinating 。 。 。 a wonderful way into history， quite often through the voices of people who don't have a say in history' Cerys Matthews


Linen， Cotton， Silk， Synthetics， Wool: through the stories of these five fabrics， Sofi Thanhauser illuminates the world we inhabit in a startling new way， travelling from China to Cumbria to reveal the craft， labour and industry that create the clothes we wear。

From the women who transformed stalks of flax into linen to clothe their families in nineteenth century New England to those who earn their dowries in the cotton-spinning factories of South India today， this book traces the origins of garment-making through time and around the world。 Exploring the social， economic and environmental impact of our most personal possessions， Worn looks beyond care labels to show how clothes reveal the truth about what we really care about。

'A must-read 。 。 。 combines remarkable research with heartfelt care' Clare Hunter

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Reviews

Bookwormbadger ，

What a wonderful read。 Not only was this a fascinating history of fabric and our relationship with it， this book also gives vitally important （and disturbing） details about the ecological and human devastation of the rise of the manufacturing industry。 The loss of many lives （Rana Plaza for example） and the gradual decline in weaving and other cloth making on a small scale， as well as the terrible damage to lakes and land， was eye opening and thought provoking。 Thread and clothing are an essenti What a wonderful read。 Not only was this a fascinating history of fabric and our relationship with it， this book also gives vitally important （and disturbing） details about the ecological and human devastation of the rise of the manufacturing industry。 The loss of many lives （Rana Plaza for example） and the gradual decline in weaving and other cloth making on a small scale， as well as the terrible damage to lakes and land， was eye opening and thought provoking。 Thread and clothing are an essential part of all our lives and this book is well worth reading。 Extremely interesting and recommended。 。。。more

Maineguide ，

Picked up from library after reading positive NYT review。 Thought “oh， this will be interesting to thumb through…” After reading only a page or two， I was drawn in。 As Goodread summary says “the author brilliantly weaves five stories”: linen， cotton， wool， rayon， and nylon clothing into a 2，000+ year history of the subjugation of people， animals， and the environment by owners and investors—often with the help of misguided government policy—for their own enrichment。 She deftly introduces the tech Picked up from library after reading positive NYT review。 Thought “oh， this will be interesting to thumb through…” After reading only a page or two， I was drawn in。 As Goodread summary says “the author brilliantly weaves five stories”: linen， cotton， wool， rayon， and nylon clothing into a 2，000+ year history of the subjugation of people， animals， and the environment by owners and investors—often with the help of misguided government policy—for their own enrichment。 She deftly introduces the technological changes—cotton gin， genetic modification， steam and electric energy and more—as well as the resulting societal changes that result， again often to the detriment of the people of the land and loom。 Be forewarned， she does take a fairly liberal bent on things （and a little bit of opposing perspective might have rounded out the book）， but I’ll look forward to future works by Ms。 Thanhauser。 。。。more

Natalee ，

An insightful history of clothing through the lens of the United States and five major fabrics whose popularities signified the transition from durability to profitability。 Although I’ve always thought of fast fashion as a modern development， Thanhauser traces its roots back further。

Susan ，

Good historical information but author’s political views were strident at times。

Connie ，

Well-researched， eye opening book about the history of the fabrics and clothes we wear， and the impact those clothes have on human suffering around the world。 You will think twice about buying that cotton t-shirt you probably don’t need。

Vange ，

My favorite part of this book was the last chapter because I listened while working on a quilt

Katherine ，

I already have an interest in how clothing is made， being a sewist of many years。 That pre-existing curiosity probably helps if you're going to really enjoy this book， and I did。 The author is a respected journalist but also someone who knows how to use needle and thread， so she brings something to the topic that a non-sewer might not。 There's great empathy here for the early sweatshop workers in Manhattan， for today's weaving enthusiasts in Britain， for Peruvian herders in the Rockies， etc。。。 S I already have an interest in how clothing is made， being a sewist of many years。 That pre-existing curiosity probably helps if you're going to really enjoy this book， and I did。 The author is a respected journalist but also someone who knows how to use needle and thread， so she brings something to the topic that a non-sewer might not。 There's great empathy here for the early sweatshop workers in Manhattan， for today's weaving enthusiasts in Britain， for Peruvian herders in the Rockies， etc。。。 She has done well to divide this sprawling topic into five sections by fiber: linen， cotton， silk， synthetic and wool。 This enables her to explain both early development of clothes and then of the clothing industry， but also to bring us up to date with trade policy， modern-day slavery and the high cost of fast fashion。 The final section was slightly less successful for me， perhaps because it was her last chance to incorporate material that didn't fit elsewhere。 I started this read feeling pleased that I can sew my own clothes。 I finish it feeling vindicated and oh-so-greener-than-thou。 。。。more

Amy ，

The historical story of what we wear and how iteffects our lives， the environment and economics。

Katherine Burd ，

I really enjoyed me this book （though it took me way too long to read）。 There are moments when it’s mired in a specific political argument that doesn’t properly or fully contextualize in the broader history （which wouldn’t detract from the argument at all！） and that bothers me。 How much more robust the story would be if responsible attention went to explaining broader economic systems and imperatives that accompany the shifts？ Nonetheless， I like how this book called me back into my interest in I really enjoyed me this book （though it took me way too long to read）。 There are moments when it’s mired in a specific political argument that doesn’t properly or fully contextualize in the broader history （which wouldn’t detract from the argument at all！） and that bothers me。 How much more robust the story would be if responsible attention went to explaining broader economic systems and imperatives that accompany the shifts？ Nonetheless， I like how this book called me back into my interest in textiles， material culture， and ethical consumption of clothes。 。。。more

Nicole Sweeney ，

January nf book club https://www。youtube。com/watch？v=gePQg。。。 January nf book club https://www。youtube。com/watch？v=gePQg。。。 。。。more

Erica ，

Worn: A People’s History of Clothing by Sofi Thanhauser was a fascinating read。 Thank you to publisher for the gifted paperback copy。 This book chronicles the history of clothing and it’s impacts on society and vice versa。 It starts with linen and then moves into cotton， silk， synthetics and finally wool。 While I was aware of many of the issues in the modern clothing industry， this book was eye-opening into some of the details and how we got there in the first place。 Like the global food industr Worn: A People’s History of Clothing by Sofi Thanhauser was a fascinating read。 Thank you to publisher for the gifted paperback copy。 This book chronicles the history of clothing and it’s impacts on society and vice versa。 It starts with linen and then moves into cotton， silk， synthetics and finally wool。 While I was aware of many of the issues in the modern clothing industry， this book was eye-opening into some of the details and how we got there in the first place。 Like the global food industry， the global clothing industry is increasingly complex。 While it is well known that are a lot of issues with the “cheap production at all costs” it is still important to be cognizant of how our clothes are made。 Like every decision， there are trade offs when it comes to selecting our clothing。 Some of those could be how long is it going to last？ Can I afford it？ Do I care about the working conditions of those who made it？ What is the environmental impact？ There is no one-size-fits-all solution。 The author argues that returning to a local-based clothing system that would allow local artisans and tailors to make a living wage would be the ideal solution。 While the change will not happen overnight， taking small steps like buying less， buying thrifted and avoiding purchasing from fast-fashion brands like Zara， H&M， and Shein could be a step in the right direction to eliminate waste from the textile industry。 I am by no means perfect at this yet， but it is going to be something I am more mindful about moving forward。 Overall， I really enjoyed reading this book。 I appreciated the author’s travels and in-person experiences to learn more about how the different textiles are made。 I also enjoyed learning about this history of different trends in clothing， especially about how clothing manufacture is really one of the things that drove the industrial revolution。 。。。more

Elizabeth ，

For anyone interested in fiber， history， cultures， and how these intertwine together this book will be an interesting exploration。 If you have a passing interest in these topics you may find yourself being overwhelmed by information or your intrigue waning depending on the topic of the chapter。I enjoyed this read and liked how the chapters were divided by fiber。 Thanhauser overviews important fibers and their history as well as their journey to being the cloth we wear。 I personally found some ch For anyone interested in fiber， history， cultures， and how these intertwine together this book will be an interesting exploration。 If you have a passing interest in these topics you may find yourself being overwhelmed by information or your intrigue waning depending on the topic of the chapter。I enjoyed this read and liked how the chapters were divided by fiber。 Thanhauser overviews important fibers and their history as well as their journey to being the cloth we wear。 I personally found some chapters to be of more interest to me but would recommend this to anyone who is interested in the topic。 I would however say this is difficult to read all the way through， at least that was my experience。 To sum up the book， fiber is comprised of labor and is inherently inseparable from us as humans even as we move to automation processes。 Clothing and the cloth it is made from are becoming more exploitative and cheaply made which is damaging on many levels （wage labor， water consumption， overplanting， etc。。。）。 I loved how Thanhauser included histories of Native American women， their familial connections to weaving and mythologies （although like most stories in this book could have been expanded upon I guess that would end up being a massive text）， of fiber's interwoven roots in feminism， and of women's work as ornamental within craft （versus art）。 。。。more

Vanessa ，

If I could give Worn more than five stars I would。 All the stars！ What a book to start this year off with。 If you have a body you keep clothed， you ought read this book。 If you love to read histories of things。 If you are in anyway interested in or involved with fabric。 If you care about people， the environment， economics， sustainability… look just read it。 Worn tells the not nearly well known enough history of wearable fabrics told from a deeply humanitarian， ecological， and future minded persp If I could give Worn more than five stars I would。 All the stars！ What a book to start this year off with。 If you have a body you keep clothed， you ought read this book。 If you love to read histories of things。 If you are in anyway interested in or involved with fabric。 If you care about people， the environment， economics， sustainability… look just read it。 Worn tells the not nearly well known enough history of wearable fabrics told from a deeply humanitarian， ecological， and future minded perspective。 The author includes the voices and stories of those who’ve fought， created， bled， sung， inspired and profited on the frontlines and wastelands of industrialisation; in the picket lines， homes， on factory floors， from glass towers， and in the houses of government。 It’s a history， yes， but not just one of the past， one of right now too， where old battles need be fought and won again， and again， and again。 Worn is a bustling， sharp， analytical， gobsmacking， vibrant， dare I say richly woven？ （I’ll roll my eyes at myself， but yes） insightful， compassionate and deeply human story。 In short it’s relevant to everyone who ever was， is or will be and it’s brilliantly written。 Could not put it down。 Will read again。 Will lovingly and respectfully badger others to read it too。 A forever book。 。。。more

Devon ，

A grab bag of history， anecdote， opinion， and politics。 I have to admire this book for trying to do the most， although I can’t say that it sticks the landing。 The author is an active guide throughout the book and presents a rather incoherent political ideology。 She admits to feeling shame in front of factory workers， smugly denounces girl boss fashion designers， and yet does not interview a single worker herself。 I don’t exactly know how I feel about her strong statements about workers’ experien A grab bag of history， anecdote， opinion， and politics。 I have to admire this book for trying to do the most， although I can’t say that it sticks the landing。 The author is an active guide throughout the book and presents a rather incoherent political ideology。 She admits to feeling shame in front of factory workers， smugly denounces girl boss fashion designers， and yet does not interview a single worker herself。 I don’t exactly know how I feel about her strong statements about workers’ experiences when she does not take time during her world travels to speak to one。 And at the end of this whole book， after detailing the exploitation of industrial workers and ecological ravages of the textile industry， she arrives at the final section， which is， you guessed it， Jeffersonian economics。 She pulled a goddamn “omnivores dilemma” on me。 Sure maybe she uses small farms and boutique textile mills as a bright spot， a moment of optimism among all the negativity， but it’s centered like her rebuttal to the global crisis。 Crafting cannot answer the problems of the textile industry。 。。。more

Jasmine ，

Didn’t finish， maybe someday I will。 It’s giving textbook

Lauren ，

excellent， would really benefit from marxist analysis， especially in the wool chapter。 shocked there's no mention of second-hand clothing outside of the intro excellent， would really benefit from marxist analysis， especially in the wool chapter。 shocked there's no mention of second-hand clothing outside of the intro 。。。more

Heba abdel aal ，

I picked the book on a whim when I decided to read about dyes 。 I am so glad I did 。 I enjoyed how the book discussed the economic effect of fabric discovery， the social factors and fashion 。 It is a well researched book and a great deal of effort was put into it but it is written beautifully to capture your attention。

Nicole Ankenmann ，

Audiobook: 13hr 13mIf research projects were rated like bed sheets， this book would have an extremely high thread count。 So much more than I bargained for -- a maker's manifesto， a thorough history lesson， an eye-opening retail clothing exposé。 It's an excellent resource for anybody who wants to thoughtfully cover their skin （which is to say， ideally， everyone）。 Audiobook: 13hr 13mIf research projects were rated like bed sheets， this book would have an extremely high thread count。 So much more than I bargained for -- a maker's manifesto， a thorough history lesson， an eye-opening retail clothing exposé。 It's an excellent resource for anybody who wants to thoughtfully cover their skin （which is to say， ideally， everyone）。 。。。more

Charleigh ，

Very interesting！ Alarming and depressing at times！

Rachel ，

This book examines the history of clothing and， in particular， its production， in the context of how it has interacted with other aspects of life on scales ranging from the personal to the global。 This is not a comforting read， as clothing production has a long history of being linked with exploitation and environmental damage and destruction。 It is， however， an informative book， and I appreciate the mix of big-picture history and personal， individual stories and details。 I picked up this book f This book examines the history of clothing and， in particular， its production， in the context of how it has interacted with other aspects of life on scales ranging from the personal to the global。 This is not a comforting read， as clothing production has a long history of being linked with exploitation and environmental damage and destruction。 It is， however， an informative book， and I appreciate the mix of big-picture history and personal， individual stories and details。 I picked up this book for reasearch for a story I'm writing， and while most of it turned out to not be directly relevant， I'm glad I read it。 。。。more

Louisa Sholar ，

The BEST book I read this year。 There’s something for everyone— whether you’re interested in environmental sustainability， economic / industrial history， labor and women’s rights movements， public health， fashion， international globalization trends， etc。 Fabric and clothing touch it all— I was interested in all of those topics before I started reading but I was almost surprised by how much more I learned about fabric production in general and smaller historical events that have shaped how clothi The BEST book I read this year。 There’s something for everyone— whether you’re interested in environmental sustainability， economic / industrial history， labor and women’s rights movements， public health， fashion， international globalization trends， etc。 Fabric and clothing touch it all— I was interested in all of those topics before I started reading but I was almost surprised by how much more I learned about fabric production in general and smaller historical events that have shaped how clothing has been made， produced， and circulated over centuries。 The author did an incredible job synthesizing world history， culture， research， and field visits from different countries and the quality truly comes out in her writing。 This was such a satisfying read！！ The book really draws out gender/political/environmental themes in her main topic in a way that’s rare and very refined 。。。more

Chrishna ，

Everyone should read this book！ I would almost describe it as a history of the world through fabric。 It starts with linen making in very ancient times， and moves through the world and fabric through the politicized hats of the French aristocracy （wild， they had reproductions of ships on them！）， to factories in China today making knock offs， while also covering the transition of person specific tailored clothing to mass produced clothing and the rise of the brand。 She covers the economics of weav Everyone should read this book！ I would almost describe it as a history of the world through fabric。 It starts with linen making in very ancient times， and moves through the world and fabric through the politicized hats of the French aristocracy （wild， they had reproductions of ships on them！）， to factories in China today making knock offs， while also covering the transition of person specific tailored clothing to mass produced clothing and the rise of the brand。 She covers the economics of weaving and clothing production from very long ago to today’s fast fashion and the environmental damage of mass produced material for clothing。 She makes a compelling argument to support clothing made with sustainable materials and whose companies pay workers a living wage。 A history of fabric， a history of garment workers （which means women）， and a history of getting the material for clothing。 A fascinating compelling read！ I cannot say enough good things about this book！ 。。。more

Carol Fischer ，

I anticipated a review of the styles of the manufacture and styles of clothing - this book focuses on particular fabric， with some info about weaving。 The story of the fabrics has much hubris - and I resolved to reconsider linen！ By the end， I felt very interested in making better clothing choices。 The author does mention certain large companies have some sort of ethical policy - but that it is not actually certified and doesn't really apply to the clothing they sell。 I do wish some guidance wou I anticipated a review of the styles of the manufacture and styles of clothing - this book focuses on particular fabric， with some info about weaving。 The story of the fabrics has much hubris - and I resolved to reconsider linen！ By the end， I felt very interested in making better clothing choices。 The author does mention certain large companies have some sort of ethical policy - but that it is not actually certified and doesn't really apply to the clothing they sell。 I do wish some guidance would have been provided。 Do know this is an interesting， heartbreaking， well researched book。 。。。more

Bagus ，

Without clothes， we’d be naked。 Clothes have always been one of the triptych of basic human needs （food， clothing， housing） since time immemorial。 Although I’m not the kind of person who’d pay that much attention to clothes， much has changed in our relations to the triptych of basic human needs in the past few centuries since the industrial era began。 Mark Bittman discusses extensively in Animal， Vegetable， Junk: A History of Food， from Sustainable to Suicidal how our relations to food have chan Without clothes， we’d be naked。 Clothes have always been one of the triptych of basic human needs （food， clothing， housing） since time immemorial。 Although I’m not the kind of person who’d pay that much attention to clothes， much has changed in our relations to the triptych of basic human needs in the past few centuries since the industrial era began。 Mark Bittman discusses extensively in Animal， Vegetable， Junk: A History of Food， from Sustainable to Suicidal how our relations to food have changed from eating for nourishment into favouring instant edible foods that we no longer know from where they were sourced。 The same thing could be said about clothes， whose history is lost in the advent of the fashion industry which treats clothes as commodities and is no longer producing them responsibly。 Sofi Thanhauser begins her book by making a declarative sentence: I like clothes。 What follows is a story of someone passionate enough to discover traces of human civilisation through cloth manufactured by plants in some parts of the globe or artisanal weavers still using traditional methods of producing their clothes。 I initially expected this book to be a history book with periodical assessments of how our relations to clothes change from time to time。 Instead， this book is not following a historical timeline， focussing on thematic explanations of five clothing materials as its central tenet， namely: linen， cotton， silk， synthetics， and wool。 Four out of five materials are sourced from animals or plants， while synthetics are the only materials made artificially。 I had the initial impression that the author through this book made an attempt to advocate the return of sourcing our own clothes locally through responsible ways （and possibly， also staying in touch with the stories or meanings behind each cloth）。 The author， however， makes an admission: ‘Today it is no longer cheaper to make your own clothes than to buy them。’ It costs more money to make our own clothes rather than， say， buy them at a nearby department store。 Neither that most people would be equipped with the necessary skills to tailor or weave their clothes。 However， the author also provides an estimate that the current textile industry produces ‘a full fifth of global wastewater， and emits one-tenth of global carbon emissions’， which is quite significant in relation to mitigating climate change and food security。 There are many more disturbing statistics presented， yet the book is not without “field research” as well。 The author does provide commentary on how cloth making was initially done mainly by women in between their activities， and the industrial fabric production took that vocation out of women by commoditising a leisure activity。 Two materials， cotton and silk， are also close to the history of colonialism mainly in the colonisation of India， slavery in the American South， and the modern-day “eco genocide” of the Uyghur people in Xinjiang， China。 In some parts of the world， lands that were previously used to plant food commodities are transformed for their purpose to turn into the cotton plantations， such as in the case of British India from 1860 to 1920， where 55 million acres of cotton came into cultivation， mainly in colonial areas。 In Xinjiang， the XPCC campaign to build cotton farms also provided ecological consequences as it caused destruction to the natural land and failed to enrich the Uyghurs as it brought water scarcity to their farms。 Ecological consequences of cloth production are apparent， a view which the author reinforces by providing first-hand accounts of cloth factory workers or managers in some parts of the world that house the manufacturing plants of some of the world’s most famous fashion brands （if not for the distressing accounts， this book would make an excellent travelogue）。 At the same time， the author also advocates the benefits of sourcing our clothes locally， which could reduce the costs of transporting clothes from one part of the world to another， thus reducing the supply chains and other irresponsible factors in the production of clothes。 Besides that， thrifting （going shopping at a thrift store， a flea market， or a garage sale） is also an option that we could consider to reduce clothes consumption。 I find this book insightful， even though I would say “why we need to source our clothes responsibly” would be a more suitable subtitle than “a people’s history of clothing”。 。。。more

Lorraine ，

Just too much technical information。 My favorite part was the last sw tion on wool

Bookwoman67 ，

Rounded up to 3。5。 Parts of this were a fantastic 5 stars。 The history of clothing manufacture was fascinating （yes， actually）， and its effects on today's fashion industry and the environment are absorbing and important。 Organizing the book by type of fabric， the author looks at linen， cotton， silk， synthetics， and wool from their first use by humans to today。 Even though I consider myself a textile artist， there was so much that I learned， and I think anyone would be surprised and interested in Rounded up to 3。5。 Parts of this were a fantastic 5 stars。 The history of clothing manufacture was fascinating （yes， actually）， and its effects on today's fashion industry and the environment are absorbing and important。 Organizing the book by type of fabric， the author looks at linen， cotton， silk， synthetics， and wool from their first use by humans to today。 Even though I consider myself a textile artist， there was so much that I learned， and I think anyone would be surprised and interested in what is included。Parts deserved two stars or less。 And while they shouldn't keep you from reading the book， they did have me yelling out loud at the author。 The last part of the book， which as a wool lover should be my favorite， was actually the most frustrating。 It's a mess organizationally， with a weird tangent on denim weaving。 And while she lets the people and stories make their own arguments in most of the book， she beats you over the head with her contention that all the evils in Central America come from international export zones set up by clothing manufacturers。 There may be truth in some of her claims， but unlike in the rest of the book she doesn't build her argument or cite sources。 And when she starts criticizing The Guardian （！） for being too gullible and conservative， you have to wonder where she's getting her information。Be aware of this title's imperfections but read it anyway。 。。。more

donna_ehm ，

Despite what the introduction tells you about the make up of the book， Worn goes beyond just detailing the history of specific materials， such as linen， cotton， and wool。 Thanhauser expands these subjects with chapters such as "The Rise of Mass Fashion" and "Underthings"。 For the most part， I thought these related topics complimented the more straight-forward discussion of materials rather well， particularly "The Rise of Mass Fashion" （although I did skip "Export Processing Zones" which was far Despite what the introduction tells you about the make up of the book， Worn goes beyond just detailing the history of specific materials， such as linen， cotton， and wool。 Thanhauser expands these subjects with chapters such as "The Rise of Mass Fashion" and "Underthings"。 For the most part， I thought these related topics complimented the more straight-forward discussion of materials rather well， particularly "The Rise of Mass Fashion" （although I did skip "Export Processing Zones" which was far too niche for my taste）。 The information was interesting and informative， but also served to connect the story of clothing from the past to our modern present。 Thanhauser recounts many visits she made to producers and makers， learning their story and their feelings towards their work and how it is often a continuation （and celebration） of past techniques and traditions， and in some cases moving those traditions in new directions （as in the case of present-day Navajo weavers in chapter 14 "Weavers"）。 This reminder is necessary because the history of cloth - it's origins， cultivation and construction， supply and sale - is one of environmental destruction， human exploitation， and greed。 If you think progress has been made in these areas since mill and factory work of the 19th and early 20th centuries （particularly around worker's rights and protections） then do enjoy the chapter on rayon。 I found narrator Rebecca Lowman to be a bit dull and plodding in her delivery。 Nothing major but enough that I bumped up the speed just a touch （1。15x） to give her voice a bit of zip。 It would have been nice to have a narrator that seemed more engaged with the material。 。。。more

Jenia ，

I enjoyed it！ I like books on the history of textiles in general， this was one of the better ones I've read。 I'm really scatter-brained atm tho， so I don't have a firm opinion - it would be good to reread it at a later point。 I enjoyed it！ I like books on the history of textiles in general， this was one of the better ones I've read。 I'm really scatter-brained atm tho， so I don't have a firm opinion - it would be good to reread it at a later point。 。。。more

Barbara ，

This is a sweeping book in its scope of time， place and fabrics。 I cannot recommend it highly enough。 I'd put it on anyone's must-read list。 I have to say， knowing how many of our precious resources go into producing cheap clothing， I will definitely change my shopping habits。 While this is a serious book with a serious message about pollution， sweat shops， treatment of women and the flow of goods from poor countries to wealthy countries， there are lighter moments sprinkled throughout。 The role， This is a sweeping book in its scope of time， place and fabrics。 I cannot recommend it highly enough。 I'd put it on anyone's must-read list。 I have to say， knowing how many of our precious resources go into producing cheap clothing， I will definitely change my shopping habits。 While this is a serious book with a serious message about pollution， sweat shops， treatment of women and the flow of goods from poor countries to wealthy countries， there are lighter moments sprinkled throughout。 The role， for example of Louis XIV in the world of fashion is interesting， ludicrous and class-ridden。 I also liked the way that Sofi Thanhauser visited many of the places in the book - India， Vietnam， China， to name some of them。 This makes the book very personal which I enjoyed a lot。 I happened to read this book through a library audible app， but I plan to get it out of the library in print so that I can revisit several chapters。 The introduction alone is worth a second read。 。。。more

Cate ，

I loved how Thanhauser went into a deep dive on diverse topics that explain how we got into this mess of "disposable" fashion， and people who are trying to go back to sustainable practices。Grouped around five different types of cloth--linen， cotton， silk， synthetics， and wool--she explores the history of textile and clothing manufacturing， through societal and industrial changes， environmental devestation， and into a hopeful future。 It is a book for nerds， though， so if you think you can find ou I loved how Thanhauser went into a deep dive on diverse topics that explain how we got into this mess of "disposable" fashion， and people who are trying to go back to sustainable practices。Grouped around five different types of cloth--linen， cotton， silk， synthetics， and wool--she explores the history of textile and clothing manufacturing， through societal and industrial changes， environmental devestation， and into a hopeful future。 It is a book for nerds， though， so if you think you can find out about the impact the sewing machine had on clothing manufaturing without getting the juicy gossip about the inventors， you're wrong！ But if you are interested in the past， present， and future of the clothes we wear， this is for you！ 。。。more

Tag

    words that start with n worn worn out worn 中文 worn out 中文 words starting with n words with n worn过去式 worn out磨损 worn & wound

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Worn

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Worn&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Worn&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0