Where does Sharkskin come from?

Sharkskin comes from the United Kingdom, Western Europe, first documented in the early 1900s.

Plate No. 042fabric

The classic two-tone sheen.

First documented: early 1900s
Origin: Western Europe, United Kingdom
Fiber: wool
Weave: 2/2 twill, 1-and-1 color order
Family: twills

Plate No. 042 · fabric

Sharkskin

Sharkskin is a suiting cloth woven as a 2/2 twill with single threads of two colors alternating in both warp and weft, the finest possible color order. The one-and-one alternation breaks the colors into a tiny step pattern that reads at distance as a smooth, iridescent solid, shifting between its two tones as the light moves. Woven with white against grey or blue, it became the sheened suit cloth of the 1950s and 60s, equal parts boardroom and Rat Pack. The same construction at two-and-two gives the shepherd texture, and at four-and-four, houndstooth.

Illustration: a 1960s tailor's showroom, two-tone sheened suits on mannequins, a low leather chair, venetian blind light — A 1960s tailor's showroom, two-tone sheened suits on mannequins, a low leather chair, venetian blind light.

Named for

Named for the smooth, slightly lustrous two-tone surface, likened to the skin of a shark.

Common questions

What is Sharkskin made of?: Sharkskin is a suiting cloth woven as a 2/2 twill with single threads of two colors alternating in both warp and weft, the finest possible color order. It is traditionally made of wool.
Where does Sharkskin come from?: Sharkskin comes from the United Kingdom, Western Europe, first documented in the early 1900s.
What is Sharkskin named after?: Named for the smooth, slightly lustrous two-tone surface, likened to the skin of a shark.