The concept of clothing as a fashion statement rather than just protection has been found to exist around 40,000 years ago.
New research by a group of universities, published in the latest Science journal, said eye needles emerged in Eurasia at this time, marking a change in the purpose of clothing.
Bone awls had previously been linked to clothing construction but the existence of crafted needles to pull threads indicated a higher level of tailoring.
The researchers described this as “a transition in the function of clothing from utilitarian to social purposes”.
The transition may have been linked to the Ice Age as colder weather forced people to cover up in warm clothes and this clothing covered traditional “adornments” like tattoos and body paint.
“Fitted garments were likely manufactured with awls, burins, and other devices before the advent of eyed needles,” the research report said.
“As a technological innovation that facilitates more efficient and finer sewing, the manufacture of eyed needles indicates an intensified demand for intricate sewing.
“In an environmental context of heightened clothing requirements, two functions that entail intricate sewing may have favoured eyed needles. One is underwear, providing additional thermal insulation in multi-layered garment assemblages.
“Another function for eyed needles relates to adornment of clothes by the attachment of beads and other ornaments onto the surface of garments.”
The researchers said this development was a small step in technology but a quantum leap in human societies.
“Together with the largely invisible development of underwear and the more obscure genesis of modesty as a motive for covering the human body regardless of climate, the transition to clothing as dress transformed clothing from a physical to a social necessity, ensuring the continued use of clothing up to the present,” the study said.
More details are on the Science Direct website.
