Original no. 16
Digby Morton · autumn 1942
Utility clothing
The CC41 label made quality and price part of Britain’s wartime clothing system. Economical design developed alongside the separate rules governing how much material clothes could use.
Economical constructionPractical tailoringCC41 scheme
About Utility clothing
Britain’s Utility scheme began in 1941 to set standards and control prices, giving shoppers confidence that scarce clothing coupons would buy serviceable goods. The CC41 mark identified products that met the scheme’s requirements. Separate austerity regulations introduced in 1942 limited details such as pockets, buttons and pleats to save materials and labor. The schemes worked together, but a Utility label is not simply a name for every wartime restriction. London designers’ economical tailoring shows how attractive clothing could be made within these constraints.
Explore the designers
- Digby MortonView garment · autumn 1942
Practical tailoring