Where does Moleskin come from?

Moleskin comes from the United Kingdom, England, first documented in the 1700s.

Plate No. 061fabric

The render is a stylized impression of the sheared nap.

First documented: 1700s
Origin: England, United Kingdom
Fiber: cotton
Weave: dense satin-faced cotton, sheared nap
Family: pile

Plate No. 061 · fabric

Moleskin

Moleskin is a heavy cotton in the fustian family, woven dense with a satin face and then sheared, so the surface is a short, suede-like nap with the softness of mole fur over a nearly windproof cloth. It is the quiet one of the workwear fustians: corduroy cut its pile into ribs, moleskin shaved its pile flat. French and English laborers wore moleskin trousers for two centuries, and the same cloth in finer finishes became country tailoring. The medical sticking plaster called moleskin borrowed the name from the cloth's softness.

Illustration: a French farm barn doorway, a worn work jacket on a peg, hay fork and lantern, low winter sun — A French farm barn doorway, a worn work jacket on a peg, hay fork and lantern, low winter sun.

Named for

Named for the dense, soft, matte fur of the mole, which the sheared face imitates.

Common questions

What is Moleskin made of?: Moleskin is a heavy cotton in the fustian family, woven dense with a satin face and then sheared, so the surface is a short, suede-like nap with the softness of mole fur over a nearly windproof cloth.
Where does Moleskin come from?: Moleskin comes from the United Kingdom, England, first documented in the 1700s.
What is Moleskin named after?: Named for the dense, soft, matte fur of the mole, which the sheared face imitates.