The development of the UK clothing industry, 1850-1950: output and productivity growth.

The clothing industry was of great importance to the British economy of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Employment peaked before the First World War at well over 800,000, making the garment trades one of the single most important sources of employment in Britain, especially for women.(1) Much historical research has concentrated on this labour market, reflecting contemporaries' concerns with 'sweating' and the allegedly related influence of Jewish immigration from East Europe.(2) Despite this, relatively little is known of the industry's development. In particular, the