Cargo pants

Description

A cargo pocket is a form of a patch pocket, often bellowed to increase capacity, and closed with a flap secured by a button, snap, Velcro, or magnet common on battledress, hunting, and sporting clothing. In some designs, cargo pockets may be hidden within the legs.

Cargo pants are made of hard-wearing fabric and ruggedly stitched. Increasingly they are made of quick-drying synthetic or cotton-synthetic blends, and often feature oversized belt loops to accommodate wide webbing belts.

The garments are characteristically designed to allow bending at the knee and hip, and are sewn with felled seams for strength and durability.

History

Battle dress was first worn by members of the British Armed Forces in 1938, and was introduced to the United States in the mid-1940s during World War II. The large pockets characteristic of cargo pants were originally designed for British forces to hold field dressings, maps, and other items. The concept was copied in the U.S. paratrooper uniform to allow more room to hold K rations and extra ammunition. Cargo pants were a popular fashion trend in the early 2000s. They have enjoyed renewed popularity in the 2020s as part of the 'Y2K' fashion trend, where 2000s fashion trends have been brought back into fashion.

Variations

Cargo shorts

Cargo shorts are cargo pants shortened at the knee. Some cargo pants are made with removable lower legs allowing conversion into shorts.

In 1980, cargo shorts were marketed as ideal for the sportsman or fisherman, with the pocket flaps ensuring that pocket contents were secure and unlikely to fall out. By the mid-to-late 1990s, cargo shorts found popularity among mainstream men's fashion.

EMT pants

EMT pants are cargo pants with six-way cargo/scissor pockets on one or both legs, each with a hidden zippered pocket on top of cargo pocket, a bellowed flap pocket with increased carrying capacity, besom pockets on calves for glove storage, and three slots for scissors (two fitted with snap closures).

References

References

1. Loschek, Ingrid. (2009). "When clothes become fashion : design and innovation systems". Berg.
2. (June 2013). "'Fashionable pockets': The transnational rise of cargo pants into popular culture". Intellect.
3. "Cargo Pants". Cracked.com.
4. (20 April 2021). "How To Wear Cargo Pants, The Latest Trend To Come Back From Y2K". TheList.com.
5. (12 August 2021). "Cargo Pants Are Going To Be Everywhere This Fall". Nylon Magazine.
6. (March 1980). "Boating: What's New on the Waterfront". Field & Stream.
7. Hong, Nicole [https://www.wsj.com/articles/nice-cargo-shorts-youre-sleeping-on-the-sofa-1470082856 Nice Cargo Shorts! You’re Sleeping on the Sofa] ''Wall Street Journal''. 3 August 2016