Clothes have always been considered starting from their functional and social role. They differ from culture to culture and from generation to generation. What initially started as a mere act of protecting the body from the climate conditions, it has now turned and diversified into a statement of who we are and what we believe in.
At a first glance, one can notice that the origins of clothing date back to prehistoric time and the main function was the protection it offered to the human body against adverse weather conditions such as cold or freezing weather, strong winds and precipitation or suffocating heat. They were initially made of animal skin or fur and later developed into clothes made of weaves appropriate for each situation. Nowadays, the range of weaves of clothes is broad and continues to expand. People pay more and more attention to details and create fabrics which are allergy free and respond to the most extreme weather conditions such as the polar temperatures.
However, the functional role of clothing does not reduce to protection against the climate conditions. They also adapt for each type of jobs available as there are uniforms which mark down the group you belong to, like, for instance, in the case policemen and military personnel.
It is this value of belonging to a certain group that sky rocketed the clothing industry. People started to adopt clothing patterns not only to reflect their personalities but also to show that they share the same behavior and beliefs. If earlier the difference in clothing was intended to emphasize the social class people belonged to, nowadays, there is also an ideological side to it. It is the case of gang members, for instance, who tend to wear a specific item of clothing to distinguish them from the rest of the world.
Teenagers are probably the most important trend setters and play an important role on the clothing market. Irregardless of the culture they belong to, they are now more and more exposed to the western styles available and they buy clothes to make a statement and thus, they are always in search of the best deals available.