Patches have been around for centuries and in many forms. Emperors and kings wore robes and they were made as hand embroidery on the clothes of important people. But it was during the Industrial Revolution that machines changed this process.
The hippie movement was one of the most influential countercultures of the 1960s. Starting off as a counterculture, hippies created a lifestyle that permeated much of the world, influencing fashion, music, and more. They introduced new trends in fashion such as headbands, flowers, and patches. We’re going to check out how this thing evolved and landed its way in today's fashion.
From Military Purposes to Everyday Fashion
It’s not a surprise that patches have made their way into the military as a way to identify units and ranks within an army. A little history but patches were first used by the British in the 1800s but were mainly worn by officers, and later on the Americans adopted them in the War of 1812. Unfortunately, they were handmade and sewn so it was difficult for them to be used everywhere.
The first subculture to incorporate the patch into their style were the hippies in the 1960s. These bohemian types began sewing together clothing comprising styles of many different ethnic origins – a sort of world style. However, it was the punks who really came to adopt this kind of scenario as their own fashion statement. And from then came Heavy Metal, which introduced another trend, one where leather jackets and spiked wristbands came into fashion.
This was all back in the 80s to 90s, in the 2010s it became more appealing into other areas outside of niche groups. Thanks to mainstream media from movies like Scott Pilgrim and Mean Girls. So why not join this new trend? Fit whatever design in anywhere from garments, bags, caps, and many others!