Before Pockets: When Everything Was External
Before pockets existed, people used pouches. Simple drawstring bags tied to belts. They held coins, tools—whatever you needed to get through the day. Everyone used them. They worked until they didn’t.
They were exposed. Easy to grab. Easy to cut. That’s where the term “cutpurse” comes from—people literally slicing them off in crowded spaces. So the problem wasn’t carrying things. It was how you carried them.
The solution: put the storage inside the clothing. Make utility a part of the garment instead of an addition.
The First Real Shift
By the 1600s, pockets started showing up in men’s clothing.
Small fabric pouches sewn directly into garments. Suddenly, what you carried was inside your clothing, not hanging off it. More secure, practical and personal. This was the shift of clothing not being just something you wore, but something you used. Not everyone was able to utilize this shift however.
The Pocket Gap
As men’s clothing became more functional, women’s clothing moved in the opposite direction.
Instead of built-in pockets, women wore separate tie-on pockets under their garments. Hidden bags tied at the waist, accessed through slits. They worked, but they were inconvenient. Life felt slower, less natural.
Then fashion changed. Dresses became slimmer, and pockets were no where to be found.
That’s when handbags took over; not because they were better, but because the purse's original use was to attract a husband.
Where Function Actually Evolved
The real evolution of pockets didn’t come from fashion. It came from necessity.
During the Industrial Revolution, people needed clothing that could actually support what they were doing—carry tools, hold equipment, keep essentials accessible. So clothing adapted. Pockets got bigger, stronger and more intentional.
Different roles demanded different storage:
Carpenters needed tool pockets.
Railroad workers needed watch pockets.
Mechanics needed space for parts.
And this idea wasn’t isolated.
In Japan, workwear evolved the same way—built entirely around function. Garments like Noragi jackets and sashiko-stitched pieces weren’t made to look good first. They were made to last, to carry, to adapt to real work. Reinforced stitching, layered fabric, practical construction—everything had a purpose.
Noragi Jacket
Sashiko stitching
Function becoming aesthetic. The pockets were a part of what the garment look so.
Patch pockets, flap pockets, watch pockets, cargo pockets were built for a reason. Clothing finally started supporting the person wearing it.
The Problem Now
Today, people carry more than ever, more than any generation before. And somehow, clothing still doesn’t carry them.
Most garments have little to no functional storage. So people rely on bags again. Backpacks. Purses. Shoulder straps. Everything goes back outside the clothing. Even men are flexing their designer monstrosities, (due to size, there may or may not be body parts inside).
The same problem—just updated. Which makes no sense, considering pockets were invented to fix it.
Why This Still Matters
When clothing works, you feel it immediately.
You stop thinking about where your things are. You move without adjusting, holding, shifting. Your essentials stay close, organized, accessible. It removes friction and stops being something you have to manage, and becomes something that supports you to make things a bit simpler. That’s what pockets were always meant to do.
Small and Rare
Pockets were the first step. The idea was simple- clothing should carry what you need.
At Small and Rare, we go further.
It’s not about adding a pocket or two. It’s about designing clothing around how people actually live. Built-in systems. Intentional placement. Storage that moves with the body instead of against it.
Because clothing shouldn’t just sit on you, it should work for you.