These penguins are wearing actual penguin suits, but they’re more about the substance than style. Penguins are facing planetary perils, and these special vests are designed to help.
In Chile, injured penguins are swimming, eating, and shimmying in them. The cocoon of red fabric is woven with healing minerals, copper, which helps prevent bacteria and fungi from growing, and zinc, which encourages new blood vessels to form. Together, they can repair damaged tissue more quickly.
That’s why old fashioned door handles are brass: it has similar qualities (which people realized wayyyyyy before germ theory).
I’m pretty sure brass was used because it was durable and stayed smooth to the touch in the elements unlike wrought iron, I don’t think they were trying to prevent the spread of disease
I wish the history of regular household stuff was better recorded