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Hey, here’s something weird. This 600-year-old fabric formula just broke its own record on Google. Right now, this year, more people are searching for this fabric on Google than they ever have since Google started recording data — by a lot. Why? The answer is because we’re coming out of our second polyester suit era, the nylon suit. That magical fabric is waxed cotton. This jacket is a Billy Reed wax herringbone members jacket, made in partnership with this article.
We need some context as to why a 600-year-old fabric is suddenly getting so popular. And to get that context, we should look at the 70s and polyester leisure suits. They were very bright, loud, and flashy. They didn’t wrinkle, and most importantly, they were the fabric of the future.
And to be totally fair to them, it was the fiber of the future and still is — we’re still developing it. But at the same time, it’s also not breathable, kind of stinky, doesn’t age well, and it’s plastic. So the polyester leisure suit basically died from popular culture, and wool suits came back. That was quality. That’s what people wanted: something natural.
And if we look at wax cotton 600 years ago, sailors put fish guts on their sails and were like, “Whoa, this makes the sails way better. How about we also make that a cape and wear it so we don’t get all wet?”
Then they went from fish guts to linseed oil to paraffin wax. The craft kept evolving, and it still evolves a lot today. One of the most famous mills is located in Scotland and named Halley Stevenson, which is this fabric right here.
Wax cotton was obviously superseded by waterproof membranes, DWR coatings, the nylon outdoor adventure jacket, and polyester outdoor adventure jackets in general. They were bright, loud, and they used the fibers and fabrics of the future. But the popular sentiment towards those fabrics started to change because they could delaminate over time.
They don’t last forever, and generally the process of making them involves chemicals that are not so good for the environment.
So we basically had another polyester leisure suit phase, this time with nylon outdoor jackets. They are still useful, but people are shifting back to natural fibers — heritage garments that you can reapply wax to, that patina beautifully, and that are the whole package.
Watch this article
This article was adapted from Michael Kristy’s video on The Iron Snail, with edits from FashionBeans, and was reviewed by Michael to ensure the integrity of his original content. Watch the full video here.
The Iron Snail is a men’s fashion vlog (and now article series!) starring a young man named Michael and featuring a snail no bigger than a quarter. The two are set on taking over the world of fashion by creating a clothing line to end all clothing lines. Until then, we’re here to tell you EVERYTHING you need to know about the best clothing out there, from the highest quality raw denim jeans to the warmest jackets to the sturdiest boots…the Iron Snail has got you covered.
