Moleskin

Moleskin is a heavy cotton fabric, woven and then sheared to create a short, soft pile on one side. In feel and appearance its nap is similar to felt or chamois, but less plush than velour. The word is also used for clothing made from this fabric, as well as adhesive pads stuck to the skin to prevent blisters. Clothing made from moleskin is noted for its softness and durability. Some variants of the cloth are so densely woven as to be windproof.

Use

The fabric, in a greyish olive-drab colour, was used for West German Army uniforms from the 1960s until the early 1990s, when it was replaced by a polyester-cotton blend twill printed with a camouflage pattern called Flecktarn. German moleskin was not sheared and thus had a flat, smooth outer side, differing from British moleskin. It was nonetheless a tough, densely woven material strongly resistant against wind and abrasion. Its chief weakness was its weight and lack of water resistance. Moleskin fabric is commonly used to make trousers that are similar to jeans in terms of appearance and lining and hence can be called moleskin jeans.