Clothing design for Homesteads and Small Tribes

Material

Leather will likely be the word of the day. Sturdy and workable  into both clothing and armor, leather is easily available through  hunting most wild game in British Columbia. Plant fibers are significantly more difficult to cultivate and  most, like cotton, need warmer climates than we can provide.  Cedar bark can be woven into certain garments, such as hats in  the style of the Haida and Salish tribes.

  Animal fibers are more easily cultivated in this climate, but  sheep generally only provide wool and no other essentials of life  besides meat when they are finally butchered. Sheep produce milk,  but this is rarely drunk, although it makes excellent cheese.  Goats can produce cashmere- which is labor intensive and low  yield although very soft- and angora with grows quickly and is  easily harvested. Goats can also be used for dairy purposes and  for meat at the end of life, and also for land clearing purposes.  Angora rabbits will also produce angora fibers, but in smaller  amounts than angora goats and they do not provide dairy and have  no land clearing ability.

 

Thus the plan for clothing materials is as follows:

• Leather and fur from hunted game ranging from deer, elk and  moose to rabbits, hares, beavers and similar.
• Goatskin and Angora fiber from Goats. We will keep a mix of  fiber and dairy goats.
• Cedar bark strips from Cedar trees, spruce roots- and  Cattails  can also be used. These are used for hat weaving,
• Scavenged metal and hard plastic, these will be used for body  armor.
• Greenery and dry vegetation will be used for Ghillie cloaks.
• Wax to waterproof hats and shoulder pads will come from bees  kept by tribe.

Fashion Sense

Hats: We suggest stealing the hat design from the Haida, bark woven  conical hats that will shed water well in the Rainy coastal  weather, probably coated in beeswax to enhance the waterproofing. You may also employ a helmet version crafted out of water hardened  leather as well.

Cloaks: We also suggest using cloaks, probably shoulder pads made of leather  or fur to help shed water in the rain. In addition to a simple  cloak for protection from cold and rain, we recommend using a  Ghillie cloak covered in local flora as a hunting and war  camoflage

Pants: Leather pants, probably wrap pants held in place with a leather  thong, or native america style chaps will be the common type of  leg covering.

Shirts: Shirt should be loose leather tops with water hardened leather  plate brigandine over them in the summer, and angora and fur over  shirts in the winter.

Shoes: Mocassins ought be the most common footwear, with furs added for winter wear.

Coats: Overcoats can be made of various materials based on needs and availability.

Kilts and Skirts and Dresses: Kilts and Skirts and Dresses are possible during warmer summer months for cooling purposes. Various materials will be used for these.