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## His Clothing: A Technological Achievement
The sophistication of Ötzi’s clothing has become better understood over decades of microscopic and DNA analysis. What initially appeared to be a relatively simple assemblage of animal-hide clothing has been shown to be a deliberately designed system made from multiple species chosen for specific functional properties.
The outer coat was assembled from at least four different pieces of animal hide, stitched together with animal sinew in a grass-stitch or whip-stitch technique. DNA analysis of the hides identified the coat as made primarily from at least three domestic sheep hides — the sheep being genetically more similar to modern domestic European sheep than to wild ancestors — along with domestic goat leather in some panels. The mixing of hides from different animals was not random: different parts of the coat used different materials, suggesting that the maker or makers understood the varying properties of different leathers.
The leggings were made from the leg sections of domestic goat skins, stitched together at the top and apparently worn tied to a belt — a construction method similar to later European leg coverings and apparently an effective cold-weather garment. The loincloth was sheepskin.
The shoes have attracted particular attention because of their engineering. The outer soles were bearskin — an exceptionally tough, wear-resistant hide appropriate for the rocky terrain of the high Alps. The uppers were made from deer leather. Inside the shoe, a system of bark netting served as a framework to hold grass stuffing in place. The grass — several centimeters of compressed dry material — served as insulation, functioning on the same principle as the insulating layer in modern winter boots. The laces were braided from cattle leather.