A scarf is a piece of fabric worn on or near the head or around the neck for warmth, cleanliness, fashion or for religious reasons.

Uses and types

In cold climates, a thick knitted scarf, often of wool, is tied around the neck to keep warm. This is usually accompanied by a warm hat and heavy coat.

In drier, dustier climates, or in environments where there are many airborne contaminants, a thin headscarf, kerchief, or bandanna is often worn over the head to keep the hair clean. Over time, this custom has evolved into a fashionable item in many cultures, particularly among women. The cravat, an ancestor of the necktie and bow tie, evolved from scarves of this sort in Croatia.

Religions such as Islam promote modest dress among women; many Muslim women wear a headscarf often known as a hijab, and in Quranic Arabic as the khimar. The Keffiyeh is commonly used by Muslim men. Women in the Haredi Judaism community often wear a tichel to cover their hair. Several Christian denominations include a scarf known as a stole as part of their liturgical

Silk scarves were used by pilots of early aircraft in order to keep oily smoke from the exhaust out of their mouths while flying.

Scarves as uniforms

Students in the United Kingdom traditionally wear academic scarves with distinctive combinations of striped colours identifying their individual university or college.

Members of the Scouting Movement wear scarves as part of their uniform, with different colours and logos to represent their scout group. They are also used at camps to represent units, subcamps or the camp as a whole. Fun scarves are also used as memorabilia at Scout events and country scarves are often traded at international gatherings.

Scarves in sport

As part of pre-match build-ups, or during matches, fans will create a 'scarf wall' in which all supporters in a section of the stadium will stretch out their scarves above their heads with both hands, creating an impressive 'wall' of color, usually accompanied by the singing of a club anthem such as "You'll Never Walk Alone" at Liverpool F.C. or "Grazie Roma" at A.S. Roma. This was initially solely a British phenomenon, but has since spread to Europe and South America.

Scarf wearing is also a noted feature of support for Australian rules football clubs in the Australian Football League, and are always in the form of alternating bars of color, usually with the team name or mascot written on each second bar.

Manufacture

The craft of knitting garments such as scarves is an important trade in some countries. Hand-knitted scarves are still common as gifts as well.

Printed scarves are additionally offered internationally through design houses such as Etro, Marisol Deluna, Hermes, Nicole Miller, Ferragamo, Emilio Pucci, Lulu Guiness and Casol to mention a few.