10 Interesting Facts about Aprons You Need to Know

Aprons have been around for hundreds and hundreds of years. Today they are just as much a part of every day life, but they weren’t always used like you might think. Check out these 10 interesting facts about aprons and see which ones you knew or not.

  1. The word ‘apron’ it appears has come from two sources the Indo-European word ‘mappa’ and the old French word ‘naperon’ both meaning napkin, cloth or towel. Kind of fits right?
  2. Men were actually the first to wear aprons, not grandmas and nannas, and mainly for hygienic protection.
  3. Different trades wore different coloured aprons, white - stonemasons, black - cobblers, blue - gardeners, green - butlers, black and white chequered - barbers and blue stripe - butchers.
  4. Women pictured in aprons in the 1940s-50s were often portrayed as a domestic goddess - synonymous with home, family, hospitality and generosity. Often times these aprons had feminine detailing.
  5. At about this same time, special masculine aprons appeared for the man of the house, the master of the grill.
  6. In the 1960s, as women joined the workforce, aprons fell out of fashion at home, but became a part of the work uniform, especially in the food, drink and hospitality industry.
  7. Children’s dolls were often dressed in pinafore aprons. One of the most famous was Raggedy Ann.
  8. The increase of Celebrity Chefs on TV wearing aprons on their cooking/baking shows makes wearing an apron cool once again.
  9. The rise of the craft movement also sees an interest in handmade aprons in various designs, materials, patterns and colours, popping up for sale at makers markets or online.
  10. Today, aprons have become increasingly a branding tool. It is popular to add embroidery or screen printing of company logos onto the aprons or by having staff wear aprons that reflect and complement the environment of the business, whether it be a cafe, restaurant, florist, beauty salon, hairdresser, the list goes on.

Have any of these facts surprised you or did you get 10 out of 10?! Maybe they have inspired you to search out just the right apron for you. We welcome you to browse through our whole range of aprons - aussiechef.com.au/aprons