Buttons seem to be very simple and are accessories of clothes, but before the invention of button doors in the 13th century, people's clothes were fastened with belts or coils. At that time, buttons had just begun to be used. Western nobles made buttons with gold, silver, copper, ivory, and even gemstones, while ordinary civilians wrapped buttons in cloth. It can be seen that the function of decoration is also very important.
An ordinary dress with unique buttons can show elegance or noble taste in plain. Buttons also have the functions of viewing and collecting.
From the 13th to 16th centuries, people began to use cheap materials, such as bone, wood, brass, etc., while military uniforms used copper, iron, tin, etc., while nobles still customized buttons of rare and precious metals.
Cloth bag buttons and embroidery buttons became popular in the 17th century.
At the beginning of the industrial revolution in the 18th century, metal buttons became popular due to large-scale mechanized production.
In the mid-19th century, buttons were also used in women's fashion. Japanese porcelain buttons are popular in Europe and America.
In the 1930s and 1940s, the synthetic material bakelite / Celluloid began to be used. In the 1950s, new plastic materials were invented.
During World War II, due to the lack of materials, cloth buttons were practical and metal buttons were noble, which made them popular again.