Who invented corduroy, and why?

Answer 1

Corduroy was invented
so that male middle aged geography teachers
could waltz around the whole school feeling smart.
Also if they were on a good salary,
the jacket would
even have black or brown leather elbow patches sewn in.~snazzy or what?...lol

Answer 2

And it’s been a long time coming. Corduroy has been around since 17th century France, where it was called corde du roi which translates to “rope of the king.” Despite its name, royals weren’t wearing the fabric, but rather it was worn by their household staff, presumably because it looked like velvet, but this strong, ribbed weave fabric is much more durable. Corduroy is as much a workhorse fabric as all-American denim. (It’s believed that a precursor to American denim was actually invented in France, sometime in the 16th or 17th century, and was called serge de Nimes.)

But corduroy has been in a bit of a time warp. In the ’70s, corduroy pants in earth-tone colors were a decade favorite with students of all ages. Cords were also a staple with preppies in the ’80s, and then rediscovered by the grunge set in the early ’90s. But you’d be hard pressed to call any of its incarnations fashion – until now that is.

And the timing couldn’t be better. According to the Cotton Incorporated Lifestyle Monitor™, 56% of women feel it is important to keep their wardrobe updated, which is up 11.4 percentage points over the same period last year. And topping the list of must-haves for winter is corduroy in all its many variations.

Now when designers work with corduroy in earthy colors, they do so in completely novel ways. Take for example, what designers have done with this season’s trendiest item – the duster.

Answer 3

Because it's oh-so stylish

While the word "corduroy" would seem to have French origins, potentially derived from "corde du roi" (roughly translated as "cloth/cord of the king"), the phrase "corde du roi" is not French. In fact, an 1807 French list of manufactured articles includes an entry for "kings-cordes", apparently taken from English. Corduroy is believed to have been first produced in Manchester England, the world's first Industrial City. Manchester was referred to as Cottonopolis because of the large number of cotton spinning mills located here.

Answer 4

Mr. Ronald Corduroy of Fall River MA invented cor-der-rey (correct pronunciation) to give him a stylish alternative to all the jeans and khakis his coworkers at the architecture firm wore.

He was not successful and died penniless, never recognized for what he brought to the world. Even today he is not recognized as the creator.

Answer 5

Corduroy was invented in the middle ages and used by noblemen and kings!