---
node: fashion_sa_paleo_indian
type: fashion
slug: paleo_indian_south_america_fashion
title: "Fashion in the Paleo-Indian period"
lead: "In the Paleo-Indian period, the first people to reach South America wore hide and plant-fibre clothing, which diverged to suit diverse environments — the Andes, the Amazon and Patagonia."
published: 2026-07-28
updated: 2026-07-28
change: "Created as a fashion sub-page under the history section (south_america region)"
requester: internal
reason: "Per the owner's decision, fashion lives under each history era"
---

## Overview

The dress of this era, when people reached South America at the end of the Ice Age, does not survive directly but is inferred from later traditions and sites.

## Key garments and style

People wore the skins of hunted animals and plaited plant fibre. In the cold high Andes and Patagonia fur was used, while in the hot Amazon thin or minimal clothing was worn.

## Transition

In the Archaic period, as cotton growing and weaving began on the Andean coast, the textile tradition took root.