All humans wear some form of dress, whether it is a few beads, or an all-encompassing ensemble.
Some of us may use dress as a physical environment to meet our basic need for shelter from the elements. Clothing plays an important role in non-verbal communication indicating many personal and social characteristics of the wearer to observers. The materials from which clothing and textiles can be made range from the traditional natural fibres and skins to the more recent synthetics, regenerated fibres and non-traditional films. Production and distribution of clothing and textiles are significant to the New Zealand and world economies, and clothing and textiles are one of the few product groups still subject to control in international trade. Fashion changes in dress and textiles have occurred for centuries, and continue to drive much of the current international trade, particularly in apparel.