rag trade

American  

noun

Slang.

1. the garment, clothing, or fashion industry.

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rag trade British  

noun

1. informal the clothing business, esp the aspects concerned with the manufacture and sale of dresses

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Other Word Forms

• rag trader
  noun

Etymology

Origin of rag trade

First recorded in 1835–45

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

rag trade

“You were in the rag trade, but then your child or grandchild moved up and created this civic and philanthropic energy that came from that feeling of America as a refuge. That is really powerful.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 1, 2026

It is also a nod to London's famous rag trade - the city's fabric merchants, tailors and dressmakers who once dominated the area where the Barbican Centre now stands.

From BBC ● Apr. 19, 2024

In Uganda, she photographed the literal signs of the rag trade — as in: the painted, storefront signs that advertise used clothing from the U.S.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 14, 2018

This month M&S reported its worst clothing sales figures in decades and rag trade rumours suggest some of its womenswear lines are dropping by as much as 28%.

From The Guardian ● Jul. 20, 2012

And although Sam M'Gruder, the junior partner in the rag trade, was not a very romantic sort of character, yet did he feel an intense sympathy for him.

From Tony Butler by Charles James Lever