Every year, International Women’s Day invites us to reflect on the profound ways women have shaped our world. Life as we know it would cease to exist without women, but in what ways is this global day of recognition tied to the textile industry?
For thousands of years, women have been the architects of design and textile: spinning, weaving, dyeing, designing, organizing labor movements, and transforming fabric into both art and livelihood. The history of textiles is, in many ways, the history of women’s work, resilience, and creativity.
However, most people are unaware that the story behind International Women’s Day is directly tied to women’s resistance to the inhumane conditions of the textile industry in the early 1900s and the power of women revolting and organizing for workers’ rights across the globe.
Ancient Origins: Women as the First Textile Innovators
Textiles are a huge part of both modern and ancient life. While not commonly viewed as such, the origin of textiles represents one of humanity’s oldest technologies.
Weaving history is truly a story of Indigenous technology, made of plant fibers, dyes, minerals, ancestral knowledge, innovation and invention.
Long before industrial machinery existed, women across cultures developed complex knowledge systems around fibers, fabrics, and garments.
In ancient societies, textile production was both a domestic skill and an economic engine. Women spun thread from wool, flax, and cotton, dyed fabrics using plants and minerals, and wove intricate cloth on looms that required immense patience and skill.
The origin of weaving and textile design was not merely practical—they carried cultural meaning. Patterns, embroidery, and weaving techniques often encoded identity, geography, and spiritual meaning. From Central and South Asia to West Africa, Indigenous Americas to Europe, women passed textile designs down through generations, preserving cultural traditions through cloth.
Every stitch carried stories of a long lineage of women gathering and crafting. Fast forward to the past few hundred years, and we have a story of resistance; how the descendants of these heritage weavers would go on to spin the threads of workers’ liberation.
Industrialization and the Rise of Women Factory Workers
The Industrial Revolution dramatically transformed textile history and production in the 18th and 19th centuries. Factories replaced household spinning and weaving, and mechanized looms accelerated manufacturing.
To no surprise, young women and girls became the backbone of early textile factories and were subject to unimaginable working conditions. In the West, mills recruited female labor because women were seen as dexterous and—critically—could be paid far less than men. In crowded mill towns, women and children worked long hours amid dangerous machinery, cotton dust, and poor ventilation.
Textile Workers and the Birth of Labor Movements
Textile factories were also the birthplace of some of the earliest labor organizing led by women. International Women’s Day is a direct result from women garment workers organizing several strikes around the globe in the early 1900s.
Notably, female garment workers in NYC organized a strike of over 15,000 in 1909 protesting appalling conditions that ultimately led to the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire of 1911, where over 150 women and girls factory workers tragically perished in a fire caused by abhorrent working conditions and negligence on behalf of the factory owners.
Remarkably, the labor movement protests started by mostly immigrant women in NYC created a ripple effect throughout the world, causing a global uprising in female garment workers demanding fair wages and workers’ protections. These movements helped lay the groundwork for broader labor rights and women’s rights campaigns.
The Ongoing Fight for Equity in the Global Textile Industry
While these powerful women made significant progress for workers across the globe, unfortunately, women continue to experience exploitation in the garment industry today.
Globally, women make up over 60% to 80% of garment workers, particularly in manufacturing hubs across South and Southeast Asia, Latin America, and parts of Africa.
The textile industry is largely unregulated, with a high informal employment rate as well as a lack of oversight. This creates ample room for ambiguity that often leads to extreme exploitation, unlivable wages, and a lack of employment benefits, leaving women vulnerable.
Additionally, at over 75%, Asia is the largest employer of the global garment workforce. Furthermore, women in the Global South are at a higher risk of worker exploitation. Wealthy business owners exploit the low cost of labor in the Global South; in turn, disproportionately reaping the benefits at the expense of underpaid and highly exploited female garment workers not granted basic human rights or workers’ benefits. Additionally, fast fashion has only exacerbated women workers' rights in the garment industry.
Recognizing women’s contributions to textiles requires more than celebrating history—it also means advocating for ethical supply chains, fair wages, and sustainable production practices today. Supporting artisans, cooperatives, and ethical female fashion designers can help uplift the women who continue to sustain this global industry.
Stitching Women’s Stories into the Future
Textiles carry symbolic power.
Cloth has long been used in protest and storytelling—from quilts documenting social struggles to embroidered narratives that preserve women’s voices when written records excluded them.
Fiber arts and textile weaving have become a medium for activism, allowing women to stitch their experiences, identities, and political visions into tangible form. The roots of International Women’s Day are a continuation of this grassroots tradition, catalyzing women’s resistance and empowerment.
This International Women’s Day, honoring women in textiles invites us to reconsider how we value labor, creativity, and cultural knowledge. The fabrics we wear are not just materials; they are the result of generations of skill, experimentation, and perseverance— led by women.
Their labor clothed families, built economies, preserved traditions, and fueled movements for workers’ rights. When we celebrate women’s history, we should remember the revolutions and community organizing that happened at spinning wheels, weaving looms, dye vats, and factory floors.
The history of textiles, reminds us that women have always been innovators, community organizers, and cultural stewards.
The fabric of our world—quite literally—has been woven by women.
At Juana, we honor and uplift the legacy of our women predecessors and all they have contributed to society at large. Sustainability, transparency, and ethical production are central to our mission, which is why we prioritize partnerships with women-owned manufacturers and pattern makers who employ a largely female base. We are heavily involved in every step of the supply chain to ensure transparency and ethical practices from idea to execution.
