In Putting on the Dog, Melissa Kwasny explores the age-old
relationship between humans and the animals that have provided us with
our clothing: leather, wool, silk, feathers, pearls, and fur. From
silkworms grown on plantations in Japan and mink farms off Denmark's
western coast to pearl beds in the Sea of Cortés, Kwasny offers
firsthand accounts of traditions and manufacturing methods--aboriginal
to modern--and descriptions of the marvel and miracle of the clothing
itself. What emerges is a fresh look at the cultural history of fashion.
Kwasny travels the globe to visit both large-scale industrial
manufacturers and community-based, often subsistence production by
people who have spent their lives working with animals--farmers,
ranchers, tanners, weavers, shepherds, and artisans. She examines
historical rates of consumption and efforts to move toward
sustainability, all while considering animal welfare, worker safety,
environmental health, product accountability, and respect for indigenous
knowledge and practice.
At its heart, Putting on the Dog demonstrates how what we choose
to wear represents one of our most profound engagements with the natural
world.