Figure 1.--
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Figure 1.-- |
Greece during 19th and much of the 20th century was a poor country. Much of the population had little money to spend on clothes. Thus if clothing was wripped or torn, most mothers would not throw the item away, but instead patched it. This was especially trur of children's clothes because children are so hard on their clothes. Tere were many techniques for patching clothes. They were copmmonly used up until the 80s. A HBC reader tells us, "I
remember myself and my friends wearing patched clothing--especially our trousers."
I am not sure about how popular or necesairy was the patching during the
19th or early 20th century in Greece. Given the poverty at the time, clothing for most Greeks almost certainly was heavily patched.
When the refugees from Asia Minor arrived in Greece (1920s) they lived in
extreme poverty. So it was usual for them to patch their clothes (especially childrens and
even more boys clothes) until they could be patched no more.
This "ritual" continued after the 1940s especially in very poor villages.
Boys would wear patched clothes (especially trousers or shorts) in school and at play. They
would only have an unpatched pair of trousers for the church. Boys were wearing less and less patched clothes after the 50s.
From the 60s and on the patching was done only in specific parts of the
clothes with a specific way. Shops with knitting good were selling special oval patches made of fake leather. They were mostly black. Mothers would use these oval patches on the knees of jeans, cotlé and other trousers. They would also use them on the elbows of sweaters, blazers and jackets.
It was considered ok for boys of middle class families to wear trousers or jackets with elbows and knees patched with the oval patches. I remember myself wearing a patched
blazer in the early 80s and I had a lot of friends who wore patched trousers.
Patching is considered unfashonable today.
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