Firstly, we need to go back. Way back. To
circa the 1200s AD. A group of Carmelite
monks were thought to be the first to wear
brown and white striped cloaks, which were
apparently inspired by the prophet Elijah.
Elijah supposedly disappeared on a chariot
of fire into the sky, leaving behind a habit
singed with brown stripes. The monks who
followed Elijah were pretty recognisable, and
once they settled in Paris from Palestine, they
were given the nickname ‘les frères barrés’ or
‘barred brothers’. They weren’t exactly popular
however, and this clear pattern on their cloaks
made them a target of persecution. Over 25
years or so, they resisted orders from eleven
successive popes to give up their cloaks, but
finally succumbed to Pope Boniface VIII
banning stripped clothing from all religious
orders in 1295.
This theme of stripes and outcasts
continued throughout the medieval time and
middle ages. The uncouth, damned members
of society were associated
with wearing stripes; jesters,
beggars, ‘women of the
night’. Stripes were ludicrous,
scandalous! They were a mark
of the unwanted of society.
This link, although not
technically proven, remained
in some form until the 1800s
with the stark black and
white striped uniforms of
the prison inmate, reflecting
the bars of the cell. We often associate this
uniform with American prisoners of ‘ye olden
days’. These stripes were also easily identifiable
should the inmate escape. It wasn’t until the
20th century that the striped inmate garb
was phased out, it’s mark of shame no longer
being morally desirable.
Stripes came to mark the outsider, but
they developed into more of a sign of a
status quo breaker as time went on. Stripes
were used in the American Revolution as a
symbol of forward thinking and freedom
fighting, and this idea continued within the
French Revolution. Stripes made a statement,
showing that people who used them as their
identifiers were part of something different; a
movement or change. It was Queen Victoria
herself who helped pave way for stripes to be
associated with the positive and the marine in
a mainstream sense. Victoria dressed her son
in a sailor suit during a Royal Yacht boarding
event and changed the course of history for
stripy popularity, as people flocked to follow
the fashion of the Royals.
Stripes had begun to take a connotation of
the ocean and sea work. A fashionable bathing
suit at the time was often designed with navy
and white stripes. At the beginning of the
twentieth century, the stripe fashion became
mainstream again. During a visit to the French
Riviera, Coco Chanel was inspired by the
workers’ uniform. The French Navy had been
using their classic navy and white striped shirt
for a long time before Chanel saw it (since the
1850s), but as Coco liked the pattern
so much, she started to include the
now famous striped colour combo
into her designs. In many ways, we
still associate this design with the
French today, Chanel just gave it the
fashion spotlight.
In the mid-20th century, movie
stars like Audrey Hepburn and
James Dean were seen wearing
striped shirts through the media,
and fashion trends naturally
followed what the celebrities of
the day wore. Stripes became more
commercial and spread out further
into the fashion market.
Fashion houses and brands have
taken stripes to represent them
because they are memorable and
bold. Think about Italian design
giant Missoni – they adopted stripes
as one of their key looks and it
became one of their
most
recognisable
patterns. Jean Paul
Gaultier’s ‘Le Male’
is a classic and even
if you don’t know
the designer, you’d
recognise the eye-
catching blue stripes.
And let’s not forget
the
world-famous
Adidas – a simple
three stripe design was all they
needed to create a statement brand
logo that is instantly identifiable
worldwide. Stripes have helped
create some classic and iconic
imagery.
This season shows stripes still
haven’t lost their style power. The likes
of Philip Lim and JW Anderson sent
models down the runway in new versions
of stripes; you’ll see cross direction stripes
throughout the high street this season.
The greatest thing about stripes right now
is the playfulness - clashing colour stripes,
mixing candy stripes with primary colours,
using wide stripes along thin stripes; it’s all
go!
That brings us up to the here and now.
Being an easy and repetitive pattern means
that stripes are pretty much appropriate
for everyone, especially in a design and
colour scheme as classic and neutral as the
Breton. The joy of stripes has become their
versatility, their appeal to both a 5-year old
boy or an 80-year old woman. It’s a pattern
that can be adapted to many occasions and
from day to night and on many different
fabrics and styles. And plus, they are quite
a bit of fun.
So, stripes, although starting with a
slightly more tumultuous history, have
become one of the most classic and easy to
wear patterns of fashion history. Stripes are
here to stay.
"The uncouth,
damned
members of
society were
associated
with wearing
stripes."
40
Clockwise from top left: Audrey Hepburn, Brigitte
Bardot and Pablo Picasso - all known for their love of
stripes. Coco Chanel wearing a Breton shirt in 1928