Buttons

“Buttons are almost as old as clothing. Buttons are made of stone, pottery, jade, glass, bone, wood, shells, flint, reindeer or stag horn, ivory, bronze, silver and gold in prehistory and ancient cultures all over the world. They were used for pure practical reasons or for decoration, because even a normal button made from bone was an adornment of the garment ”

Source: antiquebuttons.nl

Even now, the button is still used for both practical reasons and for decoration. In the meantime, many natural materials are replaced by synthetic materials such as polyamide, polyester, melamine, artificial leather or acrylic. Silver and gold made way for zinc, brass or stainless steel. Some buttons are made of recycled materials in addition to natural materials such as corozo, horn, bone, mother-of-pearl, urea, wood and leather.  Materials like eco cotton, hemp fibres, plant fibres, food remains, paper, polyester and polyester combined with wood come to mind.