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

“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

Before long, her place among the elites of the rag trade was secure.

From New York Times • Sep. 24, 2022

Market Center: L.A.’s biggest marketplace for apparel industry insiders will soon open its doors to tenants outside of the rag trade.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 12, 2017

I mean," said the other, "I 'm in the rag trade, and we supply the paper-mills; and that's why my brother Sam lives away in Italy.

From Tony Butler by Lever, Charles James