Suits as a Symbol

Suits throughout history have always been seen as a way to express power and authority, as well as showing one's wealth and rank in society. From the seventeenth century right up until the modern day, we use suits on formal occasions and see them as fancy dress wear. Despite this, the intricacy and detail of tailoring suits have been lost due to the influence of the modern ideology of fast fashion.

A brief development of suits

Key developments in suit fashion have been made throughout history, with the modern suit being developed during the 17th century as the step was made specifically to separate male costumes from female costumes, as most men desired a loose jacket with button-ups. Further moving to the nineteenth century, when this reached a new extreme, the classic look of men’s suits was developed. The tailoring techniques used in the early nineteenth century sculptured men's upper bodies, usually using wool as the main construction material.

This is when the idea of bespoke and the tailored ‘ready-to-wear’ ideology comes in, as well as in the early and mid-twentieth centuries, basic two to three-piece structure of a suit.

By the 1800s Leeds itself became well known for its tailoring techniques and attention to detail, and along with the growing of the industrial period and its textiles industries, factories flourished. Consequently, by 1960, 60% of suits sold in Britain were made in Leeds, making Leeds one of the biggest suit producers in the UK.    

Fast fashion industries

Further into the mid to late twentieth century we see a rise in a well-ordered system of manufacturing of suits and clothing items in general, which took out the intricacy of personal tailoring. With high-street brands and famous brands taking shape, the idea of bespoke suit making was seen down more traditional line, however it was much less popular as fast fashion grew due to globalisation and capitalism.  

With the age of fast fashion within the fashion industry, the mass production of clothing items which are made with low-cost materials have many impacts. This includes environmental, exploitation of the workers and using an excessive consumption of resources. This additionally means that the pieces being produced have shorter life spans than a three-piece suit would have had when being made in the 1940s. Around £272 million was spent on mass producing suits in the UK in 2024, imagine how much was spent within the fast fashion industry alone?   

What's next?

Using sustainable materials is the ideal future for suit making, however with upcycling and charity shops becoming more popular, these are additionally seen as great future prospects. Further, the circular economy has been in discussion for many recent years, with the idea of reuse becoming popular. Pre-loved clothes and pre-owed objects are coming into fashion, which for many is a political statement against the fast fashion industries. 

Consumers must demand a change in the fast fashion industry by choosing more bespoke clothing pieces such as suits, which are better quality, are more sustainable, and create individuality. In more recent years, the need for suits has generally disappeared. The slim suit style remains to be in popularity much like in the early 2010’s, remaining the go to preference when it comes to suits today. 

Written by Martha Cooke, Placment