Astronauts must have protective clothing to provide them with the correct atmospheric conditions to keep them alive in outer space. In the medical profession, special clothing items, such as sterile gloves and face masks, help reduce the transfer of germs and maintain sanitation.

Natives of some geographic regions need protective clothing against insects, worms, and leeches. The swish of a grass skirt is meant to keep insects away. Some tropical natives grease their bodies. Some plaster mud on themselves for physical protection. These body coverings are substitutes for clothing and accomplish similar protective results.