A tightly woven twill fabric that is waterproof, breathable, and virtually indestructible—the textile equivalent of a building material, developed by a man who began his career as a draper and ended it as one of the most influential inventors in the history of clothing.
Thomas Burberry invented gabardine in 1879, patenting a fabric that was waterproofed before weaving rather than after, a distinction that allowed the fabric to breathe while repelling water. The tight twill weave—angled at 45, 63, or 73 degrees—created a fabric that was nearly impenetrable to wind and rain while remaining supple enough to be tailored into a coat.
Gabardine made possible the trench coat, developed for British officers in World War I and later adopted by Hollywood and the public as the definitive coat of urban sophistication. The Burberry trench, in its classic honey-colored gabardine, became a garment whose utility was inseparable from its romance.
Gabardine is also the traditional fabric of men’s tailored suits, valued for its ability to hold a crease and resist wear. A gabardine suit can outlast a decade of regular use, its surface developing a quiet luster that testifies to the quality of its weave. In an industry that increasingly produces clothing designed for disposal, gabardine is a fabric engineered for permanence.
