Cover photo image courtesy of Alamy Stock Photo.

Fabric that repels rain? That’s right. Waxed cotton is built to last. It’s durable, reliable, and it’s longevity changed the game in textile technology. Waxed cotton is made with densely woven cotton which makes it stronger and easily maintainable by wearers. It is then coated in wax which allows it to resist rain

At W’menswear, we source our waxed cotton from Halley Stevensons, one of the original mills in the UK who've helped pioneer modern wax and have been perfecting this technology since 1846.

In the 1800s, Scottish sailors used to rub linseed oil onto the sails to make them waterproof. When those sails wore out, they cut them into cloaks, and that was how the first waxed cotton garments were born. Later on beeswax was used then it became paraffin, which is what is used today.

Image courtesy of Chronicle/Alamy Stock Photo.

Waxed cotton became the gear for British fishermen, soldiers, and motorcyclists. It was also used by the military in World War II.

Image courtesy of Saunders Militaria.

The W’menswear “Spinning for a Revolution” collection examines how the invention of the bicycle gave women newfound freedoms since the early 19th century. It is women cyclists who have turned traditional female propriety on its ear, and this collection sets out to celebrate the spinning revolution.