Fight the shower: A brief history of waxed cotton

Like falling in love with manatees and picking fights with vengeful whales, wax cotton was once the preserve of salty seadogs. As far back as the 15th Century, sailors slathered their sails in fish oil to increase performance in the wet, and it wasn’t too long before they were giving capes the same treatment to protect them from the worst of the weather.

As the centuries went by, fish oil was replaced with linseed oil. While this must have been a godsend for anyone with a working sense of smell, it came with its own setbacks – not least a worrying habit of cracking over time.

The 19th Century saw the pace pick up, both literally and figuratively, with the advent of the “clipper” ships. Built for speed, these vessels were to the Victorian import/export business what the Internet is to Jeff Bezos’ bank balance. Always on the lookout for an edge when it came to performance, it wasn’t long before the more entrepreneurial traders decided to replace their heavy flax sails with the lighter, cotton fabrics the ships were bringing back from north Africa. 

After experiments with paraffin wax coating in the 1930s proved successful, linseed was given its marching orders in favour of this new, durable and lightweight solution. From here, waxed cotton made the leap onto land, most notably in the military. From tents and bags to coats and smocks, this weatherproof wonder made a big impression on the front line. But it wasn’t just the war effort that was to benefit.

Waxed cotton soon found its way into the countryside – on the backs of farmers and motorbike trials riders alike. Companies such as Barbour and Belstaff catered to these new customers with the classic four-pocket field jacket, an iconic silhouette favoured by, among many others, Steve McQueen. Legend has it that his attachment to his jacket was so strong that he cancelled a date with then-girlfriend Ali MacGraw in order to re-wax it!

Now, while we wouldn’t necessarily go to those lengths, a waxed jacket is certainly an investment that needs looking after. Don’t worry though, it’s easier than you might think. Our simple-to-follow guide here Wax Reproofing covers everything you need to know. 

And for those of you who like the idea of a wax jacket, but want something a little more versatile, you could do worse than checking out our Wax Chore Coat. Cut from the same, storied cloth, but in the style of a classic French worker’s jacket, it’s built to fight the shower without weighing you down.

All of the history, none of the baggage.