Medieval Clothing

Materials Available For Clothing

Wool, silk, linen, hemp, cotton, leather, and fur.

Others:

Taffeta, velvet, and damask were made from things such as silk, cotton, and linen using specific weaving techniques. These others were more expensive and not as widely available.

Dyes:

Some were more expensive, but even the poor could have moderately colorful clothing.

Plants, roots, lichen, tree bark, nuts, crushed insects, mollusks, and iron oxide were used to dye. Dyed things would generally fade quickly if not mixed with mordant, and brighter and/or bolder shades took longer to dye or more expensive dye. Therefore, the brighter clothes were worn by nobles and upper classes that could afford such clothing. 

Article by Carlie Throndson