Worn

Author Sofi Thanhauser
Narrator Rebecca Lowman
Publisher Penguin Books Ltd
Publish Date 1 January 1970
Run Time 13 hours and 13 minutes
Format Audio
Genre Apparel, garment and textile industries, Cultural studies: fashion and society, History, Social and cultural history, Society and Social Sciences.

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What to expect

Brought to you by Penguin.

A finely spun history of clothes and where they come from

Linen, Cotton, Silk, Synthetics, Wool: through the stories of these five fabrics, Sofi Thanhauser illuminates the world we inhabit in a startling new way, travelling from China to Cumbria to reveal the craft, labour and industry that create the clothes we wear.

From the women who transformed stalks of flax into linen to clothe their families in 19th century New England to those who earn their dowries in the cotton spinning factories of South India today, this book traces the origins of garment making through time and around the world. Exploring the social, economic and environmental impact of our most personal possessions, Worn looks beyond care labels to show how clothes reveal the truth about what we really care about.

© Sofi Thanhauser 2022 (P) Penguin Audio 2022

Critics Review

Fascinating . . . a good yarn . . . the joy of this history of clothing, which is eminently readable and meticulously researched, is its focus on people

The Times

This riveting behind-the-scenes story of the clothes on our backs is a must-read for clotheshorses everywhere

Harper's Bazaar

A terrific book especially for those who want to be informed about sustainable clothing. Knowing the history is fascinating.

Alexandra Schulman

Richly evocative . . . One of the great pleasures of this panoramic history of getting dressed is Sofi Thanhauser’s ability to spot moments like these where human desire and material culture collide

Guardian

Knowledgeable, fascinating . . . explores the complex systems woven between the producers of cloth and its consumers . . . bulges at the seams with finely spun descriptions of the places and people she encounters

Economist

The story of what we wear is the story of who we are, and Worn offers a riveting, provocative, and eye-opening account. One cannot make sense of our modern world without this book

Author of The Most Human Human

Expansive . . . elegantly chronicling how textile production came to be defined by worker exploitation, misogyny, environmental devastation, and colonialism . . . Yet she also finds space to appreciate sartorial marvels and to celebrate the loom aficionados, “denimheads,” and “wool enthusiasts” who aim for a more ethical, analog future

New Yorker

Extraordinary . . . fascinating . . . a wonderful way into history, quite often through the voices of people who don’t have a say in history

Cerys Matthews

A masterpiece of investigative reporting and a riveting adventure story, Worn is both panoramic and richly particular. Thanhauser is the best of guides: humane, engaging, generous with historical anecdote and always able to reveal the telling detail. She shows how the cost of fashion far exceeds any retail price tag, and how the revival of venerable traditions might yet lead us to a sustainable future

author of The Secret Chord

An incredibly well-reported account of how fashion, far from being trivial, has shaped human history

New Statesman

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