It looks like fashion, but there's a reason. Behind every detail on a rugby shirt lies brutal design

A rugby shirt can look like a simple piece of striped cotton: a short collar, rubber buttons, and broad horizontal bands. But almost none of those details began as fashion. Each was shaped by a game in which players grab clothing, collide chest-first, and drag one another to the ground. The shirt traces back to Rugby School in Warwickshire, England, where students began playing a version of football that allowed them to carry the ball—and tackle whoever was carrying it. Once grabbing another player became part of the sport, ordinary clothing became dangerous. Tall dress-shirt collars offered an easy handle for pulling someone down by the neck, so rugby collars were cut short and made stiff. Hard buttons could split skin or chip teeth during a collision, so they were replaced with rubber and hidden behind a fabric placket. The fabric became dense and heavy because grabbing an opponent’s shirt was legal. A lightweight jersey would tear apart, while thick cotton could survive being stretched and yanked repeatedly throughout a match. Even the stripes served a purpose. Before numbered jerseys and television, broad contrasting bands helped spectators identify teams across muddy fields. What now hangs in fashion boutiques began as equipment for controlled violence.