the.com/flannel
the fabric that turned chopping wood into a personality and a runway
means A soft, loosely woven woolen or cotton fabric with a gently napped surface, prized for warmth and comfort — and the shirts made from it.
from Likely from Welsh 'gwlanen,' meaning a woolen article, itself from 'gwlân,' wool — fitting, since flannel was a Welsh specialty. The word crossed into English by the 16th–17th centuries. Curiously, English then exported it back out: French 'flanelle,' German 'Flanell,' and Spanish 'franela' all trace to the English version, so the wool wandered home wearing a borrowed name.
- origin
- Welsh wool weave from the 1500s
- grunge
- Seattle bands made it the anti-fashion uniform
- lumberjack myth
- plaid pattern was clever marketing, not tradition
- warmth trick
- napped fibers trap air like tiny blankets
flannel shirt — iconic 1990s grunge fashion worn by kurt cobain and seattle musicians
flannel pajamas — traditional american sleepwear, bestselling category at l.l.bean since 1912