Gabardine

[2] Since its debut in the late 19th century, gabardine has taken on an important role in military, active, and outerwear due to its durable, breathable, waterproof, and lightweight nature.

[9] Gabardine is woven as a warp-faced steep or regular twill, with a prominent diagonal rib on the face and smooth surface on the back.

In 1902, the British War Office commissioned Burberry to use the material in designing new coats for its soldiers that would better withstand demanding battlefield conditions.

[12] The original coat model produced by that commission was later updated, in 1914, in response to the harsh conditions of trench warfare during World War I.

The suitability of gabardine to protecting soldiers from that environment resulted in the design's widespread recognition as a trench coat, which continues to have influence in modern fashion.

The fabric's first arctic field test was performed by Fridtjof Nansen, a Norwegian scientist, explorer, diplomat, and eventual Nobel Peace Prize recipient who wore gabardine on his 1893 Fram expedition toward the North Pole.