
Early rubberized threads were sewn into sleeves and bodices as early as 1800. However, this was not widespread. The first elastics were not as strong as modern elastics and were unreliable. In 1820 the British inventor Thomas Hancock patented a more durable product used for gloves, suspenders, shoes, and stockings. But it was not until 1900 that the type of elastic we know today came into full use.