the journal of literature and the arts at saint david ’ s school
lose his family ’ s entire fortune over a few decades ( Currie , Ch . 4 ). The growth of the textile industry and the economy went hand in hand with the age of conspicuous consumption , but the rise of the merchant class also led to social changes and the need to use clothing as a way to communicate social status .
As social lines became blurred between the nobility and the new merchant class , both parties developed a great desire to be socially recognized and correctly identified as belonging to a specific rung on the social ladder . In Florence , the rich textile and banking industries created a new ruling class based on wealth and not on noble birth . The Medici family is the perfect example of how the new social mobility could lead to extreme wealth , and in turn , enormous political influence . To describe the extent of power that Cosimo de ’ Medici held , Aeneas Sylvius , the Bishop of Siena , remarked , “ Political questions are settled in [ Cosimo ’ s ] house . The man he chooses holds office . He is who decides peace and war . He is king in all but name ” ( lumenlearning . com ). Amassing a fortune through banking and the textile trade , the Medicis effectively ruled Florence , and their example perfectly demonstrates the degree to which the merchant class challenged the existing social hierarchy . With the rise of the merchant class and urban members of the Third Estate , social elites both new and old felt a greater degree of anxiety and a growing need to “ publicize and affirm one ’ s status ” (“ What were the social factors ?”). Clothing served as a method for all members of society to distinguish themselves from the other classes . “ This need for others ’ recognition was vital in the Renaissance ’’ (“ What were the social factors ?”) and clothing became critical in maintaining one ’ s social status and good reputation . Members of high society became preoccupied with lavish displays . The higher one climbed in society , the greater the need to show off
3