A brief history of gloves

August 02, 2017

From being an accessory used for protecting the hand while at work to one that is used to fashionably complement an attire, gloves have indeed gone through a lot of evolutions. Gloves are now being used for military- religious- medical- and sport purposes. They are usually made from different types of materials ranging from leather to latex, rubber, wool and even goatskin.

But how did the use of glove come about?

The use of gloves dates back to the times of Pharaoh who wore gloves as a symbol of authority. However, gloves were majorly employed for protective purposes in Egypt. The Romans had an early form of gloves called 'Digitalia' which were used for eating meals- especially hot meals.

By the 12th century, gloves- especially the ones that had pearls incorporated into them- became an integral part of the dressing of ladies. Plus, these gloves were used as an accessory for distinguishing social class: for instance, kings were seen to wear jewelled gloves. Gloves were also used for decorative purposes by the Queen- Queen Elizabeth II still uses a pair of such gloves.

Although gloves are now well employed in modern day boxing but the use of gloves as it regards duels, dates to the middle age when gloves were thrown under the feet of vassals in order to call them to a challenge.

Looking at it sternly; it does appear that the use of gloves to accessorize [one's outfit] and/or show class, has become a vogue that is counted as insignificant. The conventional use of gloves- which is to protect the hands while at work- seems to be a more acceptable trend.