Clothing and Textiles

If an Outsider is going to wear anything other than suits or coveralls from the System, they have to make their own clothing or have someone else make it for them. Sewing and repairing clothing is a basic survival skill in the Undercity, but not everyone is good at it. Often the members of a gang who are young, weak, injured, or taking care of young children and therefore stay out of raids and watch shifts most often will be the ones who do most of the tailoring for a gang. A gang may have a designated tailor if someone is really good at it.

Outsiders often re-purpose fabric from tweener clothing to make something else. They also steal bolts of cloth from the System to do their own tailoring. Fabric for making suits is almost always black or grey, with a few exceptions for Suits higher up on the hierarchy in the System. The patterns, such as pinstripes versus plain fabric, may also vary. Silk comes in a variety of colors for making neckties (and possibly fancy handkerchiefs for the higher ups?).

Heavier fabric for making coveralls for the women comes in a variety of bright colors for visibility; women from each division or building typically have a uniquely colored uniform. This is likely where Outsiders get the most colored fabric from. In addition, bed linens, cotton for most long-sleeved work shirts for the men, and towels almost invariably come in white. Outsiders may be able to steal fabric for items such as suits and coveralls that are white as well, because they haven't been dyed yet. They may also be able to steal dyes separately or make their own. Outsiders have the option to bleach the colors out of fabric they already have on hand.

Carpet fabric, curtains and leather are also accessible. Leather is available in brown and black because it is used for couches, briefcases and office furniture for the Suits, especially those who are well off in the System. Heavy felt is available in grey and black, because this is used for standard-issue winter coats for the Suits. In addition, yarn is available in black, white, and grey, because these are used for standard-issue winter hats for the Suits. For this reason it is feasible for an Outsider to learn to knit or crochet. Outsiders can also steal items such as zippers and buttons with which to fasten their clothing.

As for shoes, most footwear on the Inside consists of shiny black office shoes for the men, leather work boots in light brown, dark brown, or black for the women, and plain white or grey sneakers for the male children (up to 17 or 18 years of age, so they come in all sizes). The smaller sneaker sizes would also be used for the female children, and would have velcro straps instead of shoelaces to tie. Outsiders can make their own shoes out of leather, scraps of metal, scrap wood (rare), or thick fabric. Leather moccasins or simple canvas shoes are likely the easiest to make and would therefore be fairly common. As with their patchwork of clothing, Outsiders often dye their shoes or decorate them with different colored fabrics to make them unique. Items like high heels and rubber boots are rare finds looted from the System.