What is Oxford Cloth?

Did you know? | The textile industry was booming in Scotland at the beginning of the 19th Century - they were the largest producer of textiles in all of Europe.

But Oxford is in the south of England, so what does Scotland have to do with anything?

Turns out, Oxford cloth wasn't named after the city founded in 912AD, nor the college of the same name founded c.1096AD. One particular Scottish textile mill was experimenting with new weaving patterns, and named four of its newest after prestigious universities: Yale, Harvard, Cambridge and - yes - Oxford.

Not much is known about the former three fabrics, as they were clearly not popular enough to stand the test of time; Oxford cloth, however, is still widely used in many garments today.

Oxford cloth is a type of woven dress fabric constructed in a 2x2 basket weave (two threads in both the warp and the weft, in a "one-under-one-over" weave in both directions). Two threads of varying thickness (and sometimes colour) are woven in this plain weave style, resulting in a soft and strong fabric.

Oxford Fabric vs "An Oxford"

Oxford cloth quickly became the shirt fabric of choice for - of all things! - polo players. Needing a smart-looking shirt made of breathable fabric, the cotton Oxford weave was perfect. However, they soon noticed that the collars of their dress shirts would flap up in the wind and obscure their vision. Players began to sew buttons on to the points of their collars to keep them in place - and thus the Oxford Shirt was born.

The style made its way to the United States in the late 1890s, and absolutely erupted during the 20s and 30s within the Ivy League universities, where young gentlemen were embracing the less formal "sportswear" look. Most Oxford shirts these days still feature "the locker loop" - a loop of fabric at the back neck for the wearer to hang in their lockers.

However, many Oxford shirts even today will still feature a button at the centre back of the collar - a nod to the more formal roots of the shirt, where this button would keep a tie perfectly in place and stop the collar from riding up.

Dress it up or dress it down - the Oxford shirt (made from proper Oxford cloth, please!) is a wardrobe staple for the ages.

The Rochester Oxford is a classic Oxford shirt in 100% cotton Oxford cloth.

Looking for something a little more casual? How about The Memphis Shirt - a more casual style available in a range of contemporary colours.