What is hoey clothing?
Hoey clothing is clothing with a history. The term hoey, pronounced “hoy”, refers to the white residue that is left behind on the clothes of farm workers after tilling the soil. Hoeing quickly became a derogatory name for working-class people and has remained so to this day.
The garment’s history traces back to 1853 in Europe, when Queen Victoria enacted the first British luxury tariff law banning hoey cloth from entering England. This law was then applied during World War II to raiment worn by concentration camp prisoners who were forced into hard labor such as building roads and digging sewers. The garment’s history can also be traced back to August 20, 1836 when Robert Foulke and his wife, Eliza, were living in Shelbyville, North Carolina.
His father-in-law, George Hutcheson (a wealthy textile importer) had instructed him to retrieve a sample of hoey cloth from a tailor to determine why the cloth was not being sold in the area. Upon inspecting the cloth he was shocked to find that it was covered in white stains which he believed were due to chemicals used on the crop. This prompted Hutcheson to demand that anyone purchasing this type of cloth should return it for a refund as he believed they had been harmed by it in some way.
What are the features?
The garment’s features are usually a distinguishing characteristic. However, while most hoey clothing is all white, some forms of hoey clothing have variations in color. Some hoey clothing has design elements that tell its story.
The type of hoey clothing worn depended on what was being worked on and where it was being worked. For example, hoey cloth worn by miners is sturdier because the soot from the coal that they remove affects the fabric. The tough nature of hoey clothes is due to the fact that they were manufactured with a less expensive material called shoddy. Shoddy was made out of rags, fabric and other byproducts that were discarded or considered worthless. Although it appears as though it is cotton, shoddy is usually made out of old wool sweaters and rags which are cut up into small shreds and then dyed so they appear to be cotton.
How did it get started?
Hoey clothing became very popular in Europe starting in the early 16th century. In England, wearing hoey clothing was illegal until well into the 19th century because Queen Victoria feared its harmful effects on her people. She feared that it would lead to lower wages and increased wages for agricultural workers.
Both black and white labor were affected by the increasing popularity of hoey clothing. In the late 1700s, the laws in England were changed to allow white laborers to wear hoey clothing. In the United States, a movement was initiated by Horace Greeley who encouraged Americans to wear hoey clothing as a protest against high taxes levied on them by law makers during his tenure as editor of The New York Tribune in 1848.
What’s the hype?
Hoey clothing has become a very popular fashion trend and is growing in popularity because it is considered to be more casual than most clothing. It has also been cited as a status symbol for its unstated connotations of rebellion against high taxes, wage controls and growing class distinctions. Because it is made with cheaper fabrics it is affordable to just about everyone.
Is there any controversy?
Yes, hoey clothing has repeatedly been criticized by Americans who are worried that their clothes will grow white stains on them if they wear hoey clothing. These stains have been identified as chemicals that farmers used on the crops to make it grow faster and kill pests.
However, while critics have identified the stains as toxic, they have been unable to prove their claims. They also claim that these chemicals are not found in hoey clothing but only in industry clothing and not in agricultural clothing. Critics have argued that those who work in agriculture should be subject to the same regulations and taxes as other industries because of the chemicals they use on crops.
What was done about it?
Hoey clothing has always been tied to a history of class distinctions and labor struggles which made its very popularity an issue of debate. The government has attempted to regulate its use by restricting its export from the United States. In 1930, the United States signed a treaty with England that required all hoey clothing to be stamped with a British stamp so that it would not be used in England. In 1965, the U.S. enacted a law banning the transportation of hoey cloth exports if they contained more than fifty percent cotton or if it contained any other fiber besides wool or cotton yarns or a mixture of cotton and wool yarns which caused consumers concern in light of hoey cloth’s potential threat to human health.
