National Button Day

Categories:: Special Interest
Tags:: Fashion Hobby
Where:: United States
Date change rule:: Every November 16
Holiday emoji:: 🧵

National Button Day fastens itself onto the calendar every November 16. This day invites us to appreciate the humble yet versatile button, from its rich history as a functional fastener and decorative embellishment to its role in fashion and crafts. Dig out your button jar, start a new sewing project, or simply admire the unique buttons on your favorite garments.

Deals
Platforms
Social
Brands
Hero
Timeline
Businesses
FAQs
Importance
Celebrate

Expected National Button Day Deals

While we wait for official 2027 promotions to drop, history shows that National Button Day inspires a variety of creative deals and discounts. Craft stores like Joann and Hobby Lobby often feature sales on sewing notions, fabric, and button assortments, making it the perfect time to stock up on supplies for your next project. Independent Etsy sellers specializing in vintage or handmade buttons may offer special bundles or free shipping. Online retailers such as Amazon and Walmart could highlight button-themed craft kits or clothing with unique button details. Even fashion brands like Madewell or Anthropologie might showcase garments with distinctive button designs. We will update this page with confirmed live deals as November 16 approaches.

Platform Guide for National Button Day

Instagram

Tag @nationaltoday_ and use #NationalButtonDay. Share close-ups of your favorite vintage buttons, creative button crafts, or stylish outfits featuring unique button details.

TikTok

Tag @www.nationaltoday.com and use #NationalButtonDay. Film a quick DIY button project, showcase your button collection, or create a ‘buttons of the day’ fashion reel.

Facebook

Mention National Today (facebook.com/nationaltoday) and use #NationalButtonDay. Share stories about a beloved garment’s buttons or ask your community to post their favorite button finds.

National Button Day Hero

Caspar Wistar

Caspar Wistar (1761–1818) was an American physician and anatomist, whose name is famously associated with the 'Wistar button.' These distinctive glass buttons, produced in the Wistarburgh Glass Works in New Jersey, were highly prized in the 18th century for their craftsmanship and beauty, making them early examples of collectible buttons in America. His family's legacy contributed to the early American appreciation for decorative fasteners.

National Button Day timeline

1250

Button Makers Guild established

The French established the first collective that designed artisan buttons, making buttons a status symbol.

1300

The church denounced buttons

Europe was so button crazy, the church started calling them the "devil's snare." This was probably because most women's clothing of the time buttoned up the front.

1896

Button-down collars invented

Polo players were the first to button down their collars to stop them from getting in the way during a match; Brooks Brothers copied the look and created a lasting trend in 1896.

1900

Muscatine, Iowa became pearl button capital of the world

Noting the abundance of pearl mussels in nearby waters, a German immigrant opened a button-making factory in small town Iowa, which soon grew to be the largest manufacturer of pearl buttons in the world.

2014

Buttoned up button

A button that was once part of a Texas confederate navy uniform circa the Civil War sold for over $2,000.

How Businesses Can Celebrate National Button Day

Local craft stores can host button-making workshops or offer discounts on button assortments and sewing kits, encouraging customers to explore creative projects. Fashion boutiques could highlight garments with unique button details or curate displays showcasing the artistry of different button styles. Even restaurants might create a ‘Press Your Luck’ promotion, where a button drawn from a jar reveals a special discount or free item. Businesses can also engage by sharing the history of buttons in their industry or inviting customers to share their favorite button-related stories on social media, tagging #NationalButtonDay.

National Button Day FAQs

When is National Button Day?

National Button Day 2026 falls on Monday, November 16, offering a perfect start to the week for appreciating these small but mighty fasteners. It’s a fixed date, celebrated annually on the same day.

How old are buttons?

Buttons, in their earliest forms, date back to the Indus Valley Civilization around 2000 BCE, used more as ornaments than fasteners. Functional buttons for clothing, designed to pass through buttonholes, emerged in 13th-century Germany.

How many types of buttons are there?

There are countless types of buttons, categorized by material (plastic, metal, wood, shell, glass), construction (shank, flat, toggle), and aesthetic (decorative, functional). The variety is immense, reflecting centuries of design and utility.

What is a button collector called?

A button collector is often called a ‘fibulanomist.’ This specialized hobby involves seeking out, identifying, and preserving buttons for their historical, artistic, and material value. It’s a fascinating niche within collecting.

National Button Day Activities

Upcycle with buttons
Have a shirt you don't wear anymore? Change out the buttons and make it new again. Sew on some shiny metal buttons to give it an on-trend military look, or sew on kitschy novelty buttons to reflect your favorite hobby, animal, or even food. Be unique, original, and eco-friendly all at the same time.
Go on a treasure hunt
Hit a thrift shop, rummage, or garage sale. Be on the lookout for old clothing with unique buttons. Collectors love finding ones depicting mini works of art, that were worn by famous people, or reflect a certain era. Research to see if any of your finds are worth more than what you paid.
Start a button jar
Snip buttons from unused pieces of clothing, claim ones you find lying loose, buy novelty ones when it strikes your fancy, or pick ones up on the cheap when thrifting. Then, the next time you need a button, you'll have a big variety of sizes, shapes and colors from which to choose.

3 Facts To Really Push Your Buttons

What side you button up on is gender-based
Women's clothing traditionally buttons on the right (reportedly because it was easier for maids to dress the ladies they served that way) and men's on the left (they dressed themselves).
Boutonnière means buttonhole in French
Boutonnieres go through a little slit in the lapel of men's jackets that looks the same as a buttonhole, so we repurposed the French word for buttonhole to describe the flower in English.
Buttons on uniform sleeves were put there to stop soldiers from wiping their noses
Widely repeated but never satisfactorily confirmed, it is said that Napoleon ordered brass buttons be placed on the sleeves of all military uniforms so soldiers would be discouraged from wiping their noses on them.

Why We Love National Button Day

Buttons keep everything together
Buttons as a fastener date back to 13th-century Germany. Throughout history, people went so crazy for buttons they became a status symbol for a time. But beyond all that, those little buttons do a great big job of keeping our clothes together. Thank you, buttons!
Button jars double as entertainment
The things you can make out of buttons are endless. Rings, hair ties, preschool learning games, clothes pin racers, tree ornaments, earrings, magnets, picture frames, and whatever else you can think up. Buttons offer inexpensive rainy day fun, imaginative play for all ages, and are a great cure for boredom.
Buttons have spawned some awesome phrases
Without that cool little fastener, we wouldn't have some of the most descriptive phrases in the English language. But since we do, we can call people cute as a button or all buttoned up. Tell people to button their lip, which is oh-so-much nicer than shut your mouth. Hit the panic button or be so happy we bust our buttons. See? Buttons make the world a little brighter. Or as some might say, bright as a button.