Brief History of Shearling Coats
We originally Launched Etoile Vierge with a collection of customize-able leather jackets with eco-friendly fur options. After the initial success, we began to look at what other furs we could use to keep us warm in the New England winters. Thus we decided to take the tried and true shearlings and re-invent with wild, never before seen designs.
Below was originally published in GQ Magazine and gives you a brief history of Shearling in the use of clothing and some iconic imagery to see how far we've pushed the style.
Stone Age (c. 4000 BC)
Light, soft, warm - sheepskin becomes prehistoric normcore.
© Rex Features
Iron Age (c. 750 BC)
Shearling gets snooty: the quality of the fleece comes to signify social status.
© Getty Images
The Middle Ages (1200 AD)
The nomadic Cuman people of Eurasia give the material its first designer treatment as a lining for their hats.
© Rex Features
The Victorians
The modern wardrobe emerges and winter coats are all the rage. Shearling is a masculine, if pedestrian, choice.
© Getty Images
The 1940s
American pilots take to the skies in shearling-lined B-3 sheepskin bomber jackets. The RAF opts for the similar Irvin.
© Getty Images
The 1950s
Hollywood popularises the shearling trim, with Marlon Brando's On The Waterfront (1954) bomber and James Dean's ranch coat from Giant (1956).
© Rex Features
The 1980s
Minder sets a trend for sheepskin in dark suede. Del Boy later cements it as the hallmark of the wheeler-dealer in Only Fools and Horses.
© Rex Features
The 1990s
Surfer Shane Stedman's shearling Ugg boot becomes a worldwide hit with women and, years later, a fashion blooper for men.
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