Introduction to Focused Issue: History of Textiles and Fashion

Linda Welters, Professor of Textiles, Fashion Merchandising and Design at the University of Rhode Island and Professor Abby Lillethun of Montclair State University present an introduction to peer-reviewed articles published in the Clothing and Textiles Research Journal. This preface to the focused issue, which Welters and Lillethun edited, draws attention to research in the history of textiles and fashion among International Textile and Apparel Association (ITAA) members.

This introduction is divided into three parts: the past, the present, and the future. In the first section, a review of the history of dress and textiles under the umbrella of “clothing and textiles” is provided. In the section on the present, a snapshot is given of the current situation now that dress and textile history has been accepted by a wide range of academic disciplines. Finally, suggestions are offered to move the historic area forward in the journal and the organization.