Where does Chino come from?

Chino comes from the United Kingdom, Britain and British India, first documented in the mid-1800s.

Plate No. 050fabric

From the Urdu word for dust.

First documented: mid-1800s
Origin: Britain and British India, United Kingdom
Fiber: cotton
Weave: steep cotton twill
Family: twills

Plate No. 050 · fabric

Chino

Chino is a smooth, densely woven cotton twill, the cloth of the khaki military trouser. The fabric tradition begins with British forces in 1840s India dyeing their white drill the dust color called khaki, and the name chino was attached half a century later by American soldiers in the Philippines wearing trousers of Chinese-milled cotton twill. Demobilized soldiers carried the trousers home through both world wars, and campus dress turned a uniform item into the default casual trouser of the twentieth century.

Illustration: a tropical colonial parade ground around 1900, soldiers at a distance in dust-colored cotton uniforms, white buildings and palms, harsh noon light — A tropical colonial parade ground around 1900, soldiers at a distance in dust-colored cotton uniforms, white buildings and palms, harsh noon light.

Named for

From the Spanish chino, picked up by American soldiers in the Philippines around 1900 for the Chinese-made cotton twill of their trousers.

In the record

c. 1898American soldiers in the Philippines adopted the name chino for their Chinese-made twill trousers.

Common questions

What is Chino made of?: Chino is a smooth, densely woven cotton twill, the cloth of the khaki military trouser.
Where does Chino come from?: Chino comes from the United Kingdom, Britain and British India, first documented in the mid-1800s.
What is Chino named after?: From the Spanish chino, picked up by American soldiers in the Philippines around 1900 for the Chinese-made cotton twill of their trousers.