The work aims to explore the impact of wars on design activities from the perspective of global local history, with a focus on clothing design. By comparing the emergence of Italian futuristic clothing and Chinese clothing movement before the World Wars, how nation-states, in the process of global modernization, respond to external stimuli and their own concerns is discussed. The design is contextualized within the shared experiences of the World Wars. Firstly, the inherent historical logical connection between two sets of cases in Italy and China is established. Secondly, the processes of clothing design generation before the wars are elaborated upon. Finally, the key nodes where design is affected by wars are discovered to enrich the understanding of design in the times of crisis. In conclusion, wars can be viewed as a radical form of modernization. Discussing design against the backdrop of the World Wars essentially addresses how nation-states meet the strong demand to reshape their cultures and maintain their uniqueness in the process of globalization. In clothing design, this manifests as the construction of national identity. In the overarching historical logic of modernization, the specificity of locality can steer design in a completely different direction.