Wool: The Staple of Fashion Medieval England

The process of dying added amazing pops of color to wool.

The art of wool weaving created a demand for this specific commodity specifically clothing. Wool became a style and a want of many English during the medieval time period. Fashion and a certain look became a desire and thus the birth of wool trend. The way wool was gathered, created, and sold wasa diligent process. England terrain and climate was perfect for rearing sheep.When sheep are first sheered the wool is raw and dirty. From England it would be sent to France where they process and clean the wool. The French had expertise in purifying, bleaching, and dying fabric. Later the English gained more knowledge and they no longer needed to export wool for cleaning and coloring. Many people had to take part in combing the wool after it returned from France. Mainly housewives would comb the wool through and through and this also helped clean it. English also learned from the French how to weave the wool into cloth. Using tools like the spinning wheel that wove the wool intofabric that could be used to make different types of garments and yarns. The most efficient spinning wheels were closest to running waterways that would power the wheel to make it fast moving. This is clear use of hydropower that the medieval English used to their advantage. After the fabric was woven it could be dyed further. Colors started as basic in the early medieval era, but over time they learned more tricks and vibrant colors. They used certain plants, flowers, insects, and fruits to create dyes. Red was the hardest dye to obtain therefore making it the most desirable color of wool. Blue was in abundance and more common. Some times patterns or multiple colors could be incorporated to create a design for richer folk. Colorful fashion became a popular trend to those who could afford it.

The specific type of textile and garments wore would signifywhich social class an individual belonged to in Medieval England. In that way fashion is similar to today how we can tell who is wealthy by the quality of what they’re wearing and how they look. Oppositely in the medieval era social classes specifically lower classes were restricted by Lords in which textiles they could don and how much they could spend on apparel. Craftsmen were not permitted to buy any clothing that was more than 4 shillings in price. Also they were not allowed to wear silk and cloth that was silver or gold colored. Wool made a large impact on society as a whole. It took part in the manufacturing and trade sector of medieval England. It created jobs, fashion, trade, art and more. Everyone could wear wool no matter the class. It was all in how they wore it and created their own sense of style.