Post Apocalypse and what clothes might REALLY look like.

[George Newbill]

Two possibilities for the future:  Mad Max and Star Trek, right?  Eh not likely in either case.   One is too pessimistic and the other too optimistic.

We have two examples, the first is the collapse of the bronze age civilizations in 1140 BC and the other is the fall of the western Roman Empire in 400 AD.  The human race went on in both cases but the guys in the hills (literally) lived to tell the tale.  A pattern is discernable,  Complex civilization emerges, something goes wrong and the civilizations collapse.  The why can be argued but that this happens is not up for debate.  Also what is not open for debate is that literacy goes away as does numeracy.   Afterwards, you have what you can make with your two hands or grow or catch.

Clothes, initially are regular street clothing but after a few years, homespun and leather until trade comes back then the quality will come back up.  The period of five to fifteen years after the fall might look, well a little Mad Max with bits of old clothes and bits of homespun and leather.  After this period something will settle down.

What do you guys think?

[JohnyMac]

George, you have certainly hit upon something. In my neck of the woods wool will be very popular. My homesteading neighbor across the dirt road raises sheep. Her main purpose for this is lamb in the late winter early spring and yarn.

We have talked about this at our monthly prepping get-togethers. Flax and hemp came up for a potential crop that has many uses other than just for linen. Unfortunately nobody volunteered to learn anything about it. I need to bring it back up.

Either crop would grow well in my northern climate. The little bit of research I have done it was used as far back as the time of Egyptian pyramids and well into medieval time.



Now on the subject of leather...

Based on doing some research here, leather was certainly used as clothing BUT was a poor substitute to wool, linen, and cotton. Once wet it seems to suck warmth from a person like your succubus neighbor. 

On the other hand leather has some great protection characteristics. This topic is for another day.

Now clothes for the Apocalypse...

MrsMac and I have put away basic clothes for the time we have no money or the end of times is upon us. Typically we wear some clothing to about half its life like blue jeans or flannel shirts, et cetera. Then we put them away for those aforementioned rainy days. We put away underwear and socks to but only new.

Great discussion! 

[Kbop]

George, i agree.  I really don't see people after a collapse of civilization looking like they just left a S&M Punk Bar - once all the pre-collapse clothes are gone.
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After that, i guess is would be about the climate and what you have on hand to work with.
if you look at earlier clothing styles (China, Mesopotamia, Gallic Celts, polynesians) when things break down you would end up with simpler clothing shapes.
pants require alot of engineering just for a zipper - so you devolve back to buttons.  sewing and cutting fabric is time consuming and requires tools you may not have. So you go back to a wrap (a kilt or a skirt)  its all about how form fitting and comfortable you can make clothes with what you have.
after a generation or two, when the pre-collapse clothes are gone, you are left with fiber - silk, wool, hemp, flax, cotton, banana, coir, mulberry - there are fibers in most places that will serve.
the weaves will either be simple loom or hand woven (meaning a larger, coarser weave) no more 400 thread count fabrics for a while.  The cuts would be simpler.  the colors earth toned, or natural (dying makes cotton last longer  - UV protection)  the shapes less form fitting.  I think the great kilt, toga, sarong, lavalava would be common. 
leather would be rare IMHO.  it works in some roles but is prone to rotting when damp and gets brittle in dry climates.  Oil tanned leather is hard to make at home.  so tannic acid vegetable and brain tanning would likely be the most common methods.  JM mentioned its warmth when cold.  I can only think of a couple of traditional leather clothes.  Native Americans and Alpine Europeans come to mind.  I think it will have a place but mostly found on hands head and feet. (unless needed for armor like curboulli).
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i do think that head coverings will make a comeback - people spending more time outside will want protection from wind, sand, rain, cold, heat, etc.

after trade restarts you would have more uniformity - it would be interesting to see the regional differences.
how do you see leather being used?
interesting topic, thanks for posting it.

[Nemo]

4 July I went to Red Hill (.org) which is Patrick Henry's Summer home.  They had some ongoing displays of taking flax all the way linen thread.

Get some books on it now and start to read.  Its tough.

Same thing as wool fabric from a sheep.  That I could do from shear to weave.  I spent a fair bit of time on the spinning wheels.  It was actually fun.

Get a spinning wheel or learn to build one. And learn to knit and crochet.

Once you get that down you can move on to cotton.  That can be take similar method to turn into thread to weave to cloth.

Then stuff some patterns in the back drawer.  My wife sews ALOT and got into quilt making.  Its as easy as throwing a rock if you have a pattern.  Without a pattern its as easy as throwing a rock across the grand canyon.

I am doing some self taught hide tanning and leather working.  Thats also fun and takes a big bunch of some larnen effin you want it proper too.  I was told to teach myself by reading and trial/error is the best way to do it.  In those words.^^

Nemo

[JoJo]

how do you see leather being used?

 As a wind breaker, as wristlets, shin guards, aprons and chaps. Other than clothing there would be drive belts. Rawhide can be shaped into scabbards, bowls and other objects. The main part of a western saddle is it's rawhide frame. There are thousands of uses for tanned and rawhide leather.   

[grizz]

go neked 

[Kbop]

go neked 

In Alaska? Brrr

[Nemo]

go neked 

In Alaska? Brrr

Gotta be real hotblooded for that.

Nemo

[Erick]

I think  a good since relatively modern modern example might be the inmates of soviet Gulags and german refugee/ ethnic cleansing survivors in 45/46 ( and others empoverished by war )

- Straw shoes in winter
- Women wearing mens clothing due to much womens clothing being destroyed in rapes.
- Many men wearing cast off uniform pieces (or equipment .....for example a gas mask glasses which are not designed to be worn w/o a mask to hold them..may be the only prescription glasses a guy may own after his captors crushed all his other glasses.. so he jerry rigs them with string to wear as regular glasses, this is true story happend to at least one guy)
- tents resown into clothing
- military boots in lieu of civilian shoes as civilian shoes get easily destroyed in the broken surfaces of destroyed cities.
- A lot of ill fitting clothes taken by survivors from atrocity victims.

these are just examples of what I remember from historical reading about the last century.

[Nemo]

Should your redoubt survive an assault anyone from some other side must be stripped buck naked before disposal of the body.

Kit, belt, footwear would be usable for something.  Clothing could be used as clothing or boiled and cleaned for at least bandages, cleaning material or personal cleaning.

Nothing goes to waste.  It is all recycled for something.

Nemo

[JoJo]

Nothing goes to waste.  It is all recycled for something.

 That goes without saying. There would have to be a few generations gone by before all of the cloth and clothing would be used up. I don't think those of us who are alive now would have anything to worry about.

[JohnyMac]

Nah not you JoJo, you will live forever you old coot! 

[JoJo]

Nah not you JoJo, you will live forever you old coot! 

That's my intention. 

[grizz]

go neked 

In Alaska? Brrr

Just be extra careful when stoking the wood stove 

[Nemo]

Nah not you JoJo, you will live forever you old coot! 

That's my intention. 

Mine too.  And why I keep a bit of silver and gold.  They say you cannot take it with you, so if not, I ain't going!

Nemo

[JoJo]

 I met a man today who was going store to store preaching to the costumers. He drove there and looked in good shape. He was 93 years old.