Flannels for Fall

There's no Fall/Winter staple quite like the classic flannel shirt.

Made for hundreds of years, this ubiquitous shirt is seen everywhere once the temperature drops a few degrees. The origins trace back to the UK in the 1600s where the wool that was sheared from local sheep was turned into heavy duty, warm, durable, and weather resistant work shirts. Out of necessity, the heavy shirts fought the wind, rain, and snow of the Winter months. And just like any great product, once others found out about it, the flannel fabrication made its way across Europe.

A working class staple hundreds of years ago, it crossed borders along with the people that moved. As immigrants came to the US over two centuries ago, they brought their wool shirts with them. And in the US, the flannel was adapted for local climates and materials were added to the classic wool flannel, and thus the cotton flannel was introduced to the workforce.

The mix of function and durability made the flannel the perfect garment for everyone from farmers to industrial workers to soldiers. Uniforms were made of solid color flannels and depending on the weather, they were made of various weights of wool.

Like most well-made garments, flannels found their way into mainstream culture. The growing popularity could be due in part to the rise of new Army & Navy surplus stores and to the boom of mass public works projects after WWII. It could also be the strength of an industrialized workforce, or the function of the fabric in the Pacific Northwest. In doing some research for this, there was not one specific example (even the legend of Paul Bunyun came up), but it seems like these garments started creeping their way in from work/military life into everyday. Workwear brands (like Carhartt) took the silhouette of the flannel and created heavy duty cotton work shirts that you can find on almost any join site today.

Pop culture, grunge culture, youth, hip hop, surf, skate; everyone seemed to find flannels that fit their style from the ‘80s into the ‘90s. At this point cotton flannels were more prevalent and pervasive than the traditional wool, but it wasn't an either/or scenario. Brands like Woolrich, Filson, Pendleton, and Schott successfully developed lines of cotton flannels and their classic wool counterparts. The Buffalo check was a core staple of both lines. The comfort of the cotton made it great for everyday. The warmth, and function of the wool make it a great cold-weather layer. And the durability of either material makes it perfect for work or everyday life and can last you for years.

No matter what, you can find a flannel that's right for you.

Shop our flannel collection from brands including Pendleton, Schott NYC, Lee Jeans, Big Bill, and Dockers