The term drill refers to 3 threads. They are woven in a twill weave to create a tear-resistant, hard-wearing, virtually indestructible fabric. Textile archaeology confirms that the legendary durability of drill is ensured using 3 different yarns. The drill of prehistoric military jackets shows the yarn combination of cotton, linen, and wool. Thousands of years later, Christian Weber gives the drill the comfort of the 21st century by adding elastane as the 3rd yarn component to cotton and linen.
It is a small weaving mill in Austria's southernmost province of Carinthia that weaves the drill exclusively for WEBER+WEBER. The "Vintage Military Overshirt" from WEBER+WEBER is sewn from "raw" drill in a family-run factory near Treviso. The finished overshirt is then washed and dyed. The overshirt is given its extravagant deep color in Modena's Tintoria Emiliana, where each individual overshirt is dyed again by hand.
Did you know that the vintage trade was already commonplace in Florence around 1350? Not only military jackets were traded, but also the clothing of aristocratic employers, who gave them away to their staff. At that time, wealthy citizens and merchants did not want to dress nouveau riche and paid huge sums for worn clothes from the aristocracy.
Drilled for comfort
Anyone who has served in the military knows what drill can mean. The fabric of the same name, a favorite of all military fabrics for thousands of years, inspired Christian Weber to turn the tables and drill a casual jacket for comfort. How does it work? In the 3-component fabric Drill, the wool yarn is replaced by elastic yarn. Effect: the drill stretches. The twill weave used is a steep twill that refines the drill into a gabardine. Effect: casual elegance. Each jacket is made individually from the blank, then washed and dyed. Effect: The jacket no longer shrinks, and the fit remains perfect. Further contributions to wearing comfort: two spacious pockets, full-length button placket and a comfortable stand-up collar that can be turned into a lapel collar. Effect: quiet luxury in two facets.
Men's fashion was inspired by the prehistoric military. Men were quickest to embrace the close-fitting lines of the jacket and saw it as a status symbol of masculinity. This realization was withheld from pants for a long time because pants were typical of the "wild" equestrian peoples and ancient Rome condemned them as the clothing of barbarians. The prejudice lasted for 1000 years.