03. HISTORY

A dual evolution in both utility and fashion elements.

The leading theory on the origin of the belt goes back to days of ancient Rome and the word “balteus”, which referred to a form a military kit that consisted of a leather strap for carrying a sword. The original Latin “balteus” would then evolve into the English term “belt” we know today, in much the same way as the word “band” was born from “bind”. Eventually, from around the Middle Ages onwards, the belt would come to be an item not just of a military nature, but one used more as a form of ornamentation. Though belts would later come into greater demand for their functional properties, the truth is that it wasn’t until recently that they started to see use as an implement for holding up gentlemen’s trousers. The late 1950s are when the transition from suspenders to belts took place. A simple design is preferable in suit styles, with 3cm or less being the standard width. As its name would imply, bridle leather originates in the equestrian harnesses used by the British nobility. As a material entrusted with the lives of both the rider and the horse, bridle leather is required to be at once firm and enduring, something that makes it also uniquely suited for use belts for day-to-day wear. In Japan, belts only became commonplace gradually with the arrival of Western attire when members of the upper strata during the Meiji period (1868-1912) would wear them during social occasions. Demand for belts would later expand greatly during the Taisho period (1912-1926). Wearing a belt became a matter of course after the Second World War, perhaps due to the rise of the American way of living. Supervisor: Manabu Nariha Profile Appointed head of the Osaka branch of INFAS Publications, producers of Ryuko Tsushin and WWD-Japan, after stints as an editor and writer for Soen and The Textile Journal. Now lectures at educational institutions and is involved in many other projects such as planning and production for international exhibitions.