Hidden in Plain Sight - How to Create Extraordinary Products for Tomorrow's Customers

Chapter 2

The Social Lives of Everyday Objects

In the early days of ancient Rome, the toga was the national garment, worn by men, women, and children alike, across social classes. Its universality made it difficult to make any statements like “I’m hip, young, and fashionable” or “I’m a deal-making, power-brokering machine,” although magistrates and high priests liked to embellish theirs with a purple stripe around the border to make their eminence evident. But by the second century BC, the toga had become strictly a status symbol for men conducting official business. Sumptuary laws were established, explicitly stating who could or could not wear certain togas or use certain dyes. Women were banned from wearing togas entirely, except for prostitutes, ...