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

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

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

From New York Times

His father Gil, brash and charismatic, spent decades in “the rag trade” and traveled to Southeast Asia, bringing back silk scarves and clothes for his wife, Abby.

From Los Angeles Times

Ethan’s father, Gil, is a “rag trade” entrepreneur whose travels have taken him to Hong Kong, Malaysia, Indonesia, China and Bangladesh, as well as Thailand.

From Seattle Times

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