Want an easy way to identify the time period of vintage clothing? Look for something called a union tag.
A union tag notifies the consumer that the garment they are purchasing was crafted by workers who were protected by rights outlined in union contracts to ensure fair wages, safe working conditions and standardized working weeks.
The most popular union tag that appears on vintage clothing is the International Ladies’ Garment Workers’ Union (ILGWU). This specific union’s tag has changed eight times since 1900, so it can help identify the era of a garment.
The ILGWU was founded in June 1900 and is one of the first female U.S. unions. This union protected the working-class women garment workers by advocating for and ensuring higher wages, safe working conditions, reasonable working hours, health benefits and more. This union picked up major support after the 1911 tragedy of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire.
Now we can hop on the internet and research a brand’s manufacturing practices to determine if it is ethical before purchasing, but before the digital age, these little tags helped society remain conscious of who and what they were supporting.
Here are some examples of union tags and what eras they come from:
The ILGWU does not exist anymore, it has now merged and is part of UNITE. The union labels can help us identify clothing from 1900 to 1995.
Unions like the ILGWU helped pave the way for accountability in the garment industry. Working in the garment industry can be grueling and straining, so it's important there are ethical guidelines put in place to help protect those who make the clothes we wear everyday.
Written by Macy Berendsen