Why haven’t North Americans adopted clothing styles from cultures that have been, for millenia, adopting and refining their fashion to suit hotter temperatures. As global temperatures rise and we see longer summers and warmer winters, why haven’t we seen a change in material compositions, styles and textiles? I might argue that my Indian genetics give me an advantage in handling heat and extended exposure to sunlight. But that raises the question: if I’m demanding these innovations, why hasn’t everyone else demanded it as well?
I noticed many summers ago that mosquitos couldn’t get past my chest or upper arm hair. Taking swimming seriously when I was younger had forced me to shave a lot of it away and it never occurred to me that what I considered messy and unpresentable actually had evolutionary benefits: mosquitos have a smaller surface area to transmit diseases. Innovations in long sleeves leveled the genetic playing field; why haven’t we seen something in heat flow? I expect skirts for men to become popular as temperatures rise, much like traditional skirts for men in India, Southeast Asia, and Scotland.
But I have a larger point. Our brains evolved to tackle hard spatial awareness and decision making problems. But with more modern conveniences, our brains have outsourced compute and security to paper, calculators, computers and institutions. However, our traditional caloric intake hasn’t really changed, despite us expending far less energy, both physically and implicitly (e.g. through the natural act of sweating). Many traditional meals were refined well before technology outpaced culture. If technology really does outpace culture, why aren’t we adopting fashion, one of our earliest technologies, at a faster pace than culture makes it acceptable?
I created this doc a while back, admittedly half heartedly, to track the changes in clothing to see if I had uncovered value where none existed or if I’m just crazy. Unfortunately, I don’t go to the mall that often.
Appendix
I realize that the prevalence of air conditioning and that most people don’t walk around like they used to makes fashion more form than function. But I still think that switching would make people more comfortable and lower our energy usage.