Ribbon History
Origins of Ribbon
Manufacturing

Ribbons are narrow pieces of fabric that are commonly woven with selvage edges. Ribbons are commonly used as decorations and are seen in a variety of industries including:

• Florists
• Clothing and apparel manufacturers
• Craft supply stores
• Shoemaking companies

Ribbons were originally known as ribbands, narrow strips of cloth that were used as borders on garments. The first known records of these early ribbons occurred in 11th century France and were woven by hand on looms. These ribbons were made with silk and were reserved only for wealthy nobles.

The modern ribbon with selvage edges was developed in 16th century. By this time, ribbon manufacturing improvements made it possible so more than one ribbon could be produced at a time. By the 17th century, ribbons became fashionable in polite society and were used on every piece of clothing including hats, dresses, vests, shoes, and more.

As time progressed, ribbons developed another use, as badges of distinction. Ribbons were given to indicate achievement or to symbolize something. This ribbon tradition continues today through awareness ribbons that promote a particular cause. For example, red ribbons symbolize AIDS awareness and pink ribbons symbolize breast cancer awareness.

Ribbontex, leading ribbon manufacturer, continues their ribbon tradition by offering beautiful, wholesale ribbons from Venezuela. Below are examples of the types of ribbons available through Ribbontex: