Disposable Clothing

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32253, 23 March 1970, Page 3

Disposable Clothing

(By the London correspondent

of ‘‘The Press’*)

LONDON. Knowledgeable people in the “disposables” business say that nobody should be fooled by the present comparative inactivity in the field of disposable dresses. Launched in 1966, paper dresses proved to be just too expensive to be truly disposable, and the sales campaign subsided to a whimper.

But a come-back is planned. 1 Manufacturers expect their j break to come within 181 months or two years at the most, and then they will have’ another crack at the clothing! revolution which they pre- ’ dieted about five years too I soon. Their big mistake was to treat a new clothing material in an old-fashioned way. One i of the major cost factors in the clothing trade is the time taken to make the ’ clothes, and when they came ! to sew paper dresses the cost was roughly the same as if they were sewing fabric. Bonding Techniques Now they are pinning their hopes on the perfection of bonding techniques which will join the parts of a dress . together without stitching, in much the same way as polythene products are welded together. When that can be done to their satisfaction they may be well on the way to making true Teddy Tinling’s prediction that one day disposables will be the only ’type of clothes that people (Will want to wear.

Paper panties for women and paper underpants for men head the list in Britain at present of disposable clothes. Already 10 million pairs of paper panties are sold each year, but they still cost between 8d and is a pair. And there have been unfortunate accidents—not the worst being the paper chase of tattered pieces left by one man as he circulated at a cocktail party. For men they come in a rjfnge of pastel colours, plus rfed and white stripes. Most of the products made

in Britain today for the disposable market are designed chiefly for the convenience of travellers who do not wish! to be bothered with washing/ drying and ironing. Women’s’ nighties are available at 2s each, and sheets cost 7s a; pair, plus an extra 4s 5d for a pair of pillowcases. Into the same category come such useful travellers’ items as disposable nappies, bibs and nightgowns for the baby—and even a potty with disposable bags. But as far as clothing is concerned, the state of the industry is indicated by the fact that practically the onlydisposable fashion items on display at the “Here Today” exhibition of disposables at the London Design Centre is experimental work produced at British art schools. It includes a maxi beach dress, a bikini and cape, hats, ribbons and even a wedding gown—all to be worn and thrown away. The health service is perhaps the biggest user of disposable clothing on a permanent basis—providing hospital nurses with disposable paper hats, collars, cuffs, aprons and inspection gowns. A macabre note was introduced at the “Here Today” exhibition by the inclusion of a paper shroud, designed for the hospital mortuary. But colourful disposable clothing in a wide variety of items cannot be far away, and some manufacturers are already preparing to market such novelties as pink, blue and yellow striped men’s sports shirts, plus flowery beach shifts and sun blouses for women.