A Brief Talk On The Art Of Buttons: Several Materials Of Buttons

“Buttons, as an indispensable part of clothing, carry an important mission. They can not only reflect the art of design, and the advanced sense of material but also show the functionality of clothing. But people’s introduction to the history of buttons and related materials is very little, and the choice of details, but often show the noble and good aesthetic taste.”

Buttons of all kinds may seem unimpressive today, but they certainly had their side. As buttons evolve and evolve, the history of buttons seems to tell a long and subtle story of people’s search for fitting and comfortable clothing. Buttons of various materials and styles are applied to the design of clothing, and designers bring the production and production of buttons to perfection. Today, the art of buttons can refer to the quality of clothing and the presentation of dress taste. Of course, all this starts with the cognition of button material, color, design, and other aspects.

First, Button Knowledge

1) A little history of buttons

Every object has its history. Even buttons, which are so common that you can ignore them, have a little history. The invention of buttons dates back to the 13th century, probably during the Southern Song Dynasty. In fact, before buttons, there are already similar items, such as belts, straps, brooches, etc., which we can collectively refer to as the Fastening products (Fastening), which enable nothing more than certain two parts of clothes to be smoothly combined so that it is easier to dress and undress. Interestingly, the button’s twin brother, buttonhole, may even have been born slightly before the button. A button from the 13th century was a luxury comparable to a Rolls-Royce, and in some areas, there were laws restricting its use.

In the 14th century, buttons made of bone and wood (fruit buttons) gradually became popular among the common people, but buttons made of some valuable materials were still symbols of status and wealth: gold buttons, silver buttons, ivory buttons, copper buttons or copper alloy buttons, etc. Some metal craftsmen created composite buttons by inlaying ivory, tortoiseshell, and jewelry on copper or copper alloy buttons. For example, there is a record that King Louis XIV of France made a royal robe with 13,000 precious buttons.

The Industrial Revolution in the 18th century promoted the progress of industry and technology, and buttons entered the era of mechanized production. Buttons are not only more diversified in material, such as horn buttons, shell buttons, ceramic buttons, glass buttons, crystal buttons, and other categories, but also in the production process of metal buttons to a higher level, in the middle of the 18th century, the British Matthew Boulton adopted the steel polishing process, the French invented hollow process

At the beginning of the 19th century, the metal plating process was gradually adopted, and buttons with embroidered patterns were shining brightly on clothes with design concepts. Tin alloy buttons had replaced other products and became the buttons used by the public. The decoration of copper buttons on military uniforms made beautiful uniforms shine. Inexpensive die-cast steel buttons with perforated buttons replaced the former. Machine-made cloth-wrapped buttons replaced hand-made cloth-wrapped buttons in 1830, and at the same time, a type of button made from animal horns and hooves, remolded with heat and dyed, entered fashion.

The 20th century, is the era of compound domination, a variety of chemical synthetic material buckles emerge endlessly: resin buckles, nylon, urea buckle, and so on. However, with the wide use of zippers, so that buttons were no longer flowery, in the field of the buckle from prosperity to decline, decorative function finally gave way to practical function.

2) Buttons commonly used material

Buttons were originally made of natural materials, such as ox bone, ox horn, shell, fruit, wood, etc., as well as metal alloys, copper, iron, and other materials. With the development of chemical materials and synthetic materials in the 20th century, resin, nylon, urea, and other new materials were gradually used. As custom clothing, natural or metal buttons are used. The following will introduce the common custom horn, shell, and fruit buckle.

3) Basic type of button

Button as a fastening product, according to its different functions, can be divided into a variety of types, the suit is commonly used is a four-eye button or metal hand-stitched button (mushroom button), and blazers or coat more use a four-piece button, jeans are using a combination of I button (denim button) and rivets.

4) Commonly used button size comparison table

Button dimensions are Lignes, denoted by L or “, 1L=0.635mm. To facilitate the conversion, the following is a common size comparison table.

Second, The Challenge From GRS

With the world’s understanding of sustainable development becoming more and more common, GRS: Global Recycled Standard, as an international, voluntary, and comprehensive product standard, has received increasing attention. GRS has been marketed by brands ZARA, Bubbery, H&M,

From the Lancer Bespoke Tailoring
Gradually adopted by brands such as ADIDAS, Uniqlo, NIKE, IKEA, GAP, and others, ADIDAS applies to any product containing at least 20% recycled material and establishes third-party certification requirements for recycled content, production and marketing chains of custody, social and environmental practices, and chemical restrictions. The goal of GRS is to increase the use of recycled materials in products and reduce/eliminate the hazards caused by their production. GRS involves all clothing supply chains (from raw materials – production – processing – trade – brand), up to brand owners, down to fabric accessories, buttons, zippers, and other industries. Natural button horns, and shell lamps because the material can be degraded by the environment naturally, there is no recycling problem, so as not to cause damage to the natural environment.

Natural buttons may not be superior to synthetic ones in a variety of physical indicators, but they will be especially popular with designers who emphasize social responsibility and consumers who prefer natural materials.

Three, Bull Horn Buckle Brief Talk

Horn buckle or hoof buckle? The horn buckle, as the name suggests, is made from a natural horn, and the closer to the horn tip, the more valuable it is. But interestingly, does the horn buckle have anything to do with the hooves? The answer is yes, because the hooves have similar physical and decorative structures to the horns, so it is often used as a substitute for the horns, especially in the middle and low-grade horn buckle, in a large number of applications. And the horn itself, the closer it is to the tip, the more valuable it is.

1) Indian cow

The horn buckle originated in Europe, so why is it associated with India? Cows are godlike beings in India, especially cows. But is it related to India becoming the primary embryo base of the horn buckle? The answer is that it has something to do with the high yield, tight horns (similar to bison), competitive prices, and, more importantly, a well-developed industry close to China and the main garment-producing areas of Southeast Asia. As a labor-intensive industry, garment processing is very cost-sensitive, so India is the leading producer of horn fillets.

2) The shallower, the more expensive?

The price of the horn buckle has its own unique logic. It can be said that the price is different from the cow’s. Even if it comes from the same horn, the price will be very different because of the difference in color and pattern, resulting in a 5-6 times difference. So what is the law of the true fragrance of horn buckle? Here it is the shallower, the more expensive. However, the color is not the only standard, the particularity of the pattern is also an important standard, that is, the more special the more expensive. Then comes another problem, the special color of the limited problem, don’t be too expensive, it is possible to buy. Because a specific time, the amount of a specific pattern of the embryo is certain, the more large the order, the more likely to be rejected. Who made us natural?

Four, The Fruit Buckle Is Shallow Said

Corozo has a long history. Natural materials, it is not only the most cost-effective but also the most beautiful pattern (such as wood grain), with strong plasticity and colorful colors. It comes from ivory palm, a kind of South American coconut, which is a fruit that is not only black but also beautiful. Peeling away the rough outer shell reveals an inner shell as white as ivory. After slicing, the embryo after it becomes the “white” of the original embryo – the key, this is the basis of its plasticity, after dyeing and other processes, showing a profuse color. At this point, both the horn buckle and the shell buckle must surrender.

1) Far away in South America

Fruit (buckle germ) real name Tagua(He melon), home is located in distant South America, think of South America, our ears rang a passionate samba. Brazil? No (also pronounced “No” in Spanish), the main origin of Tagua is Ecuador. Ecuador is in the northwest corner of South America, near Colombia and Peru. Thanks to its unique geographical conditions, South America still retains its position as a major producer of raw materials.

2) Dish it out, dish it out

Rather than the unfamiliar name Tagua, another name of the fruit is better known in China — the ivory fruit. When I think of ivory fruit, I think of ivory fruit bracelets, string, string, string. The ivory color of soft jade, after time, and the fine hand-wrapped pulp, have a unique charm. Therefore, if you wear the clothes of a fruit button every day, every time you touch the button, like touching the ivory fruit string, this feeling can only be understood.

Five, Shell Buckle Shallow Theory – Rainbow In The Sea

Shell buckles are made from natural shells, which are more complex than cow horns and fruits. There are many kinds of river shells, sea shells, lake shells, etc. High-grade shell buttons are mainly made of deep-sea shells. After removing the original embryo from the shells, the shells are made into high-grade garments and customized garments’ favorite shell buttons after selection, modeling, grinding, polishing, and other processes. Customized shell materials are mainly: shell hoof snail, white butterfly shell, black butterfly shell, and abalone shell.

Takase Shell

Shell hoof has been used to make a kind of white curly shell since ancient times. Even though most of the buttons adopted by the garment industry are made of shell hoof, the red has luster, durability, and affordable price.

White Mother of Pearl Shell

White butter shell is one of the most advanced materials used in shell buttons. Its smooth and deep glossy texture shows the rarity that other varieties do not have. Because of this, white butter shell has always been used by Rolex and other high-grade watches and watches and other high-grade ornaments. It is only used in a few high-end items such as the most advanced shirts in the classical Italian style to show a very elegant texture.

Black Mother of Pearl Shell Black Mother of Pearl Shell

A black butterfly shell is a kind of shell that can radiate a deep silver brilliance. It is famous as the mother shell of the large and beloved Nanyang black pearl. It is widely used in high-grade handicrafts and ornaments.

Abalone Shell

Abalone shell, a high-end Marine treasure, has been used as a button material since ancient times. The unique zigzag shape of the abalone shell allows the gloss to be reflected in multiple directions, which makes it a beautiful button from any direction. It naturally reflects the color of sweet pinang.

1) The philosophy of thickness

The price of the shell buckle is closely related to its thickness: the thicker the similar shell buckle, the higher the price, so the custom shell buckle has, a 3.0mm thickness of the majority. Because of the shell buckle, the thick part is relatively rare. Of course, different categories of shell buckle also have price differences, the current basic price rule: is white butterfly > tower snail > black butterfly > river shell. Due to hardness and other reasons, shell buttons are more limited in size (diameter) than horn buttons and fruit buttons, so they can only be used in small amounts for coats and trench coats with a diameter of more than 2.0cm, which is more in line with the needs of haute couture.

2) Noble luster

For many lovers of custom gentry clothes, shell material buttons are usually the first choice. For one thing, the raw materials are natural. More importantly, the colorful luster of the shells often reminds people of the nobility of pearls. Human’s search for color is not only limited to diamonds and various gemstones, but also to the gifts of nature — shells and pearls. In 1998, GIA (Gemological Institute of America) introduced the appraisal system of pearls, in which seven factors affect the value of pearls: gloss, roundness, finish, bead layer (pitted pearls), size, color, and match. From these seven factors, we can learn which aspects we pay more attention to when choosing buttons made of shell material.

In addition to buttons, deep-sea shells are often used as accessories. Among them, Tridacna, a large shell distributed in the Indian Ocean and the Western Pacific, is known as one of the four organic gems in the West. Listed as one of the seven treasures of Buddhism in the Eastern Buddhist scriptures, the Diamond Sutra, accessories made by a Tridacna are often regarded as treasures of treasures.

3) The Pacific Sigh

Due to the international division of labor and other reasons, the main raw materials of shell buckles are mainly concentrated on the Pacific coast, such as the white butterfly shell of Australia, the black butterfly shell of Tahiti, the shell hoof shell of Solomon Islands, etc. However, in the past two years, white Butterfly has been widely used as a raw material by the luxury watch industry, and its price has soared. Once the shells, which were readily available, became such a hot commodity, there would be too much of a good thing, and some people would overfish or even kill the shells to get them. Therefore, in Australia and other producing areas, due to environmental protection, shell picking has been restricted accordingly. In fact, horns, shells, and fruits are the wealth and supreme gifts given by nature. People should take them in a proper way and know how to cherish and treat them well.

By SANTVALEN St. Valen, Mr. Pugh;