It has been suggested that the origin of protective gloves dates back to prehistoric times when early cavemen, prior to the Glacial Period (which is generally regarded as having commenced some 240,000 years ago), wore gloves, fashioned from animal skins, to protect their hands and arms from injury when they hunted. There is evidence that much later, in classical times, gloves were used by the ancient Persians and Greeks to protect their hands against the cold and thorns, as well as in warfare and sport, not only for protection, but also as weapons of offence. In the early Middle Ages the wearing of gloves, other than for protective purposes, was largely confined to the nobility, clergy and military for whom they were largely seen as status symbols. It was not until the 16th century that gloves came to be worn as a fashion item, by both sexes, and increasingly across the social spectrum. The popularity of gloves as a fashion accessory continued to grow down the centuries to the extent that, by 1920, English glove manufacturers were producing 25 million pairs of fabric gloves per annum, thereby completely overshadowing the use
of protective gloves.

The balance between dress and protective gloves altered significantly in the first half of the twentieth century which witnessed a growth in heavy industries combined with international political crises. The result was that during the First World War much of UK production was taken up with silk flying gloves and protective gloves for munitions workers servicing the war effort. This was repeated during the Second World War with most production in dress glove factories being switched to a wide variety of military gloves which included officers' leather gloves, mosquito-proof gloves for jungle warfare, parachutists' gloves, "anti-louse” drill gloves, anti-flash gloves and many more. The same period saw a rapid development in industrial glove manufacturing, in particular in heavy duty leather gloves, to protect workers across a wide range of industries, and the invention of the now ubiquitous PVC glove (the use of rubber surgical gloves having been pioneered as early as 1890). Shortly after the war the makers of industrial gloves were admitted to the National Association of Glove Manufacturers which had been formed in 1941.

The second half of the twentieth century witnessed significant developments in both protective materials and manufacturing techniques, offering higher levels of protection combined with improved fit and comfort. At the same time increasing demand was satisfied by a huge growth in overseas output, in the Near and Far East in particular, which contributed to the eventual irreversible decline in volume glove manufacturing in the UK.

The introduction of the Health and Safety at Work Act in 1974, followed by the introduction of European Standards in the 1990's, gave added importance in the UK to the protective glove sector which now accounts for the vast majority of all UK glove sales. The UK remains at the forefront of protective glove design and innovation.