Ribbon Bazaar Mono Striped Grosgrain Ribbon Woven Ribbed Texture - 100% Polyester Ribbon for Gift Wrapping, Home Decor, Bouquets, Cake Decorating & More - 1-1/2 inch Black 20 Yards

Ribbons were first woven more than a thousand years ago, in France. What makes a ribbon loom so special is how more than one fabric can be woven into a web at once. Looms that can do this are very sophisticated, which is why ribbons are a relatively modern invention. But soon, each nation in medieval Europe had its own ribbon-weaving center. In Krefeld, Germany, for example, they specialized in black velvet ribbon. In Leiden, Netherlands, in the 16th century, weavers caused riots because of the specialty of these ribbon-looms over their own. As a result, ribbon-looms were banned from use. It wasn't until 1745 that improvements in the ribbon loom led to a shared usage for weavers at large, and ribbon-weaving became more common. Although ribbon has been used in lingerie for centuries, it wasn't until about twenty years ago that the fashion industry started to really make use of ribbon in everyday wear. As a result of high demand, much of the world's ribbon production moved to China, where production costs were lower and quality could remain high.