2,179 articles
Umbro
Umbro is a British sportswear brand founded in 1924 by Harold and Wallace Humphreys (from Humphreys Brothers), known for the double diamond logo, England's 1966 World Cup kit, the Speciali boot, and replica kits; owned by Authentic Brands Group since the 2022 Iconix acquisition.
Underwear
Underwear: clothing worn next to the skin under outer clothes, also called undergarments or lingerie. Covers history from 17th-century linen underpants to corsets, thongs, period underwear, and modern moisture-managing fabrics.
Uniform
Uniform: standardized clothing identifying members of an organization, spanning military, work, school, and sports dress. Covers functions, fashion crossover, and competitive swimwear as a regulated case study.
Union Jack dress
The Union Jack dress is the flag mini dress Geri Halliwell (Ginger Spice) wore at the 1997 BRIT Awards, made by sewing a tea towel onto a Gucci dress; later auctioned for £41,000 and revived by Cavalli in 2007.
Uniqlo (ユニクロ)
Uniqlo (ユニクロ) is a Japanese casual clothing retail chain operated by Fast Retailing, which opened its first store in Hiroshima in 1984 and sells good-quality casual clothing at low prices through in-house planning and production.
UNITE HERE
UNITE HERE: North American labor union of about 300,000 hotel, gaming, food service, laundry, textile, and airport workers, formed by the 2004 merger of UNITE and HERE, AFL-CIO affiliated, led by president Gwen Mills since 2024.
Upcycling
Upcycling transforms waste or unwanted products into goods of higher quality or value without breaking them down, contrasting with downcycling and recycling. Term coined by Reiner Pilz (1994); apparel LCAs report up to 87% impact reduction, dependent on durability and energy source.
Ural stone-cutting
Ural stone-cutting (уральская камнерезь) is the hardstone carving tradition of the Urals, centered on the Ekaterinburg Lapidary Works, which supplied ornamental stones to the Russian court from 1751.
Ushak carpet
The Ushak carpet (Uşak halısı) is an Ottoman carpet woven in Uşak, western Anatolia, from the 15th century onward in two classic types, medallion and star, and exported widely across Europe.
Ushanka (ушанка)
Ushanka (ушанка), or shapka-ushanka, is the Russian winter fur or cloth hat with tieable earflaps, descended from the treukh and malakhai; adopted by the Red Army in 1940 (order No. 187) and a global symbol of Russia.
Valentina Sampaio
Valentina Sampaio, Brazilian model born 1996 in Aquiraz, Ceará; first transgender Vogue cover model (Vogue Paris 2017), first trans Victoria's Secret model (2019) and runway walker (2024), first trans Sports Illustrated Swimsuit model (2020), and trans-rights activist.
Valentino (fashion designer)
Valentino Clemente Ludovico Garavani (1932–2026), known as Valentino, Italian couturier who founded Maison Valentino in Rome with Giancarlo Giammetti, created Valentino red, dressed Jackie Kennedy and Hollywood stars, and retired in 2008.
Valeria Lukyanova (Валерия Валерьевна Лукьянова)
Valeria Lukyanova (Валерия Валерьевна Лукьянова), aka Amatue, is a Ukrainian model born 1985 in Tiraspol, famous as the "Human Barbie" after her 2012 viral fame, later selling esoteric rejuvenation courses and facing 2025 cult accusations.
Vans
Vans (Van Doren Rubber Company, founded 1966 in Anaheim) is an American skate footwear brand owned by VF Corporation, known for vulcanized waffle soles, the Old Skool Sidestripe, checkerboard slip-ons, and the 'Off the Wall' identity.
Vanuatu sand drawing
Vanuatu sand drawing, known in Bislama as sandroing, is a Vanuatu tradition of tracing one continuous line in sand to make figures carrying stories and knowledge.
Várgesztes
Várgesztes is a village in Komárom-Esztergom county, Hungary, at the northwest corner of the Vértes mountains, known for Gesztes Castle, a 13th-century Csák kindred fortress turned royal hunting residence and 16th-century Ottoman border castle.
Veejay Floresca
Veejay Floresca is a Filipino fashion designer in New York, winner of Project Runway US Season 21 (2025), the first Filipina and first openly trans woman to win; known for made-to-order bridal and slow fashion.
Veil
Veil: a fabric covering for the head, face, or body, worn across Assyrian, Jewish, Christian, and Muslim traditions since the 13th century BCE; also called hijab in Islam; a marker of status, modesty, and contested identity.
Velvet
Velvet: a woven pile fabric with a dense cut or uncut pile formed over rods or wires, historically silk, from Italian centers like Venice, Genoa, and Florence; distinct from velveteen, velour, and plush.
Venetian glass
Venetian glass, made chiefly on Murano since the 1291 furnace relocation, is a soda-lime luxury glass tradition defined by cristallo, filigrana, millefiori, and lattimo techniques, its European dominance, façon de Venise imitators, Bohemian competition, and the modern Vetro Artistico Murano trademark.
Vera Wang
Vera Wang (王薇薇, Vera Ellen Wang), American fashion designer born 1949 in New York, ex-Vogue editor and Ralph Lauren design director who founded her bridal brand in 1990 at the Carlyle Hotel, won the CFDA award and National Medal of Arts, and sold the brand to WHP Global in 2024.
Vestment
Vestments are ceremonial garments worn by clergy in public worship, derived from ordinary Roman dress; the tunic became the alb and the paenula the chasuble, with distinct Latin Rite and Eastern forms.
Vetements
Vetements, from vêtements, French for clothing, is the Zurich-based luxury fashion house founded by Georgian brothers Demna and Guram Gvasalia in 2014, known for the DHL T-shirt, oversized silhouettes, and collaborations with Levi's, Champion, and Reebok.
VF Corporation
VF Corporation, formerly Vanity Fair Mills, is an American apparel and footwear company founded in 1899 as a glove manufacturer and headquartered in Denver, Colorado, whose largest brands are The North Face, Vans, and Timberland.
Vicki Iovine
Vicki Iovine (Vicki Ann McCarty, born 1954) is an American author, lawyer, and former model, Miss September 1979 Playboy Playmate, and author of the Girlfriends' Guide parenting series including The Girlfriends' Guide to Pregnancy (1995).
Victoria Silvstedt
Victoria Silvstedt (Karen Victoria Silvstedt, born 1974, Skelleftehamn, Sweden) is a Swedish model, actress, singer and TV host; Miss Sweden 1993 runner-up, Playboy December 1996 Playmate and 1997 Playmate of the Year, Guess? face 1998.
Victoria's Secret
Victoria's Secret: American lingerie retailer founded 1977 by Roy Raymond in Palo Alto, sold to Leslie Wexner in 1982, independent as Victoria's Secret & Co. since 2021; known for its Angels, Fantasy Bras, and revived Fashion Show under CEO Hillary Super.
Victoria's Secret Fashion Show
Victoria's Secret Fashion Show (VS Fashion Show, VS Show): annual promotional lingerie runway spectacle by U.S. retailer Victoria's Secret, first staged 1995 at The Plaza Hotel, prime-time TV from 2001, canceled 2019, relaunched 2023–2025.
Victorian fashion
Victorian fashion: dress in Britain, 1837–1901, under Queen Victoria. Defined by corsets, crinolines, and bustles, peak black mourning dress after Prince Albert's death, dress reform, and 1890s A-line skirts.
Vida Guerra
Vida Guerra, Cuban-born American glamour model (born 1974, some sources 1980), famous for her December 2002 FHM lingerie spread, FHM Model of the Year 2004, Playboy July 2006, music videos, and acting.