Where does Crepe come from?

Crepe comes from France, where it dates to the Middle Ages.

Plate No. 078fabric

The render is a stylized impression of the pebbled crepe surface.

First documented: Middle Ages
Origin: France, France
Fiber: silk, wool, polyester
Weave: plain weave, high-twist crepe yarns
Family: plain

Plate No. 078 · fabric

Crepe

Crepe is any cloth whose surface is deliberately pebbled, classically by weaving yarns twisted so hard they buckle when released, throwing the face into a fine, matte crinkle. The texture scatters light, drapes heavily, and resists wrinkling, since the surface is already, by design, all wrinkle. Crepe de chine, georgette, wool crepe, and crepe-backed satin are all members. Black silk crepe carried a second meaning for a century: it was the fabric of Victorian mourning, worn by widows in prescribed stages and supplied by entire mills devoted to grief.

Illustration: a Victorian mourning warehouse interior, bolts of matte black cloth on tall shelves, a clerk at a distance in black, gas lamps, hushed light — A Victorian mourning warehouse interior, bolts of matte black cloth on tall shelves, a clerk at a distance in black, gas lamps, hushed light.

Named for

From the French crepe and Latin crispus, curled: the surface is the name.

Also known as

crêpe, crape

In the record

1800sBlack mourning crepe became a Victorian institution, with Courtaulds building its early fortune on the cloth.

Common questions

What is Crepe made of?: Crepe is any cloth whose surface is deliberately pebbled, classically by weaving yarns twisted so hard they buckle when released, throwing the face into a fine, matte crinkle. It is traditionally made of silk, wool, or polyester.
Where does Crepe come from?: Crepe comes from France, where it dates to the Middle Ages.
What is Crepe named after?: From the French crepe and Latin crispus, curled: the surface is the name.