Thomas Burberry patented gabardine in 1888. The fabric was a major advance in practical outerwear because it offered durability and water resistance without the heavy, clammy feel of many earlier waterproof materials.
Burberry developed gabardine in the late 1870s and introduced it as a fabric in 1879, reviving a much older word for a protective garment. The original material was commonly made from tightly woven worsted wool, sometimes blended with cotton, and treated with lanolin before weaving. Its steep twill construction helped shed rain while allowing more breathability than rubberized cloth.
The 1888 patent date is the answer to the question, but 1879 is an important neighboring date and a common source of confusion: it marks the fabric’s development or introduction, not the patent. Gabardine later became important to military clothing and helped make Burberry’s trench coats famous during the First World War. Modern gabardine may use cotton, polyester, viscose, wool, or blended fibers, so today’s versions are not identical to Burberry’s original cloth.