Buttons are as old as clothing. They were used for purely practical reasons or as decoration, because even a bone button can be made a decoration of the garment. Buttons buried with Kings were more luxurious, such as buttons made of gold and glass, wich were often found in the tombs of Mykene and deep in the Meditarranean sea. There are buttons from the 16th century. Women saw rapidly the importance of this practical object and the potential to make a little gem.

History

Early buttons were mainly stone buttons, wooden buttons and cloth buttons. In the 13th century, Europeans began to use buttons in their lives. Cloth buttons are very popular among ordinary people, while gold, silver, copper, ivory and gem buttons are loved by nobles.

After the industrial revolution in the 18th century, metal buttons gradually became the main feature of the market due to the mechanization of mass production. During the 1930s and 1940s, synthetic resin materials began to be used in button manufacturing.

Speaking of the history of Chinese buttons, it can be traced back to 1800 years ago. It is believed that the development of modern Chinese buttons began with the establishment of the first button factory in Jiangsu. The button factory mainly produced shell buttons before the 1960s and plexiglass buttons after the 1960s. In the early 1970s, Chinese button factories began to manufacture fork buttons.

After 1984, China introduced advanced unsaturated resin button production lines, which greatly promoted the development of China's button industry and shortened the gap with the world. Since the 1990s, with the improvement of people's living standards and increased awareness of environmental protection, the use of natural buttons such as shell buttons and coconut buttons has increased dramatically.

Prospect

In the 21st century, unsaturated resin buttons are regarded as the leading products in the market due to their advantages in color diversity, shape flexibility, simulation capabilities and physical properties. Metal buttons, especially imitation metal electroplated buttons, antique electroplated buttons are the favorite in the clothing accessories industry. Natural buttons (for example, real shell buttons, horn buttons, leather buttons, wooden buttons, coconut buttons, etc.) have become popular highlights in fashion trends.

In addition to the above-mentioned buttons, new buttons produced by advanced processing technology have also appeared, such as spray buttons, digital buttons and laser engraved buttons. Moreover, the trend of button combination is becoming more and more obvious, and the decorative function of buttons is getting stronger.

As we all know, the development of the button industry is inseparable from the development of the clothing industry. With the improvement of people's living standards and cultural taste, new changes have taken place in dress concepts. The focus of dress has changed from practical function to decorative function, which requires the button industry to develop in the direction of fashion, high technology and environmental protection.