London Fog Trench Coat

The London Fog trench coat emerged from a specific postwar ambition: to make waterproof outerwear that was both functional and fashionable. Israel Myers, founder of the Londontown Manufacturing Company, had built his business during World War II supplying rubber-coated coats to the United States Navy. When peace came, he saw an opportunity to transform the raincoat from utilitarian necessity into a wardrobe staple. The obstacle was material. Conventional fabrics could not be made waterproof without becoming stiff and uncomfortable; early synthetic polyesters melted under the friction of sewing machines.

The breakthrough came through collaboration. Working with DuPont and the fabric maker Reeves Brothers, Myers developed a blend of cotton and Dacron that was water-repellent, remained so after washing, and could withstand the sewing process. The resulting coat, introduced in 1954 as the Maincoat, borrowed its silhouette from World War I military trench coats—epaulets, sleeve straps, belt—but refined them for civilian wear. Saks Fifth Avenue introduced the coat in a New York Times advertisement on March 7, 1954, describing it as lightweight, wrinkle-free, and resistant to creasing. At $29.75, it cost more than double competing raincoats, yet the initial 100 coats sold out immediately. A women's version followed in 1955, adapted with darts at the chest and left-side buttons.

The design proved durable because it solved a genuine problem without sacrificing elegance. Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, Londontown continued refining the coat: it introduced the first removable zip-in liner, allowing year-round wear; patented a process to prevent buttons from falling off; and added an inner shoulder barrier for dryness. These innovations became industry standard. The company went public in 1961 and was listed on the New York Stock Exchange by 1966. Though the brand passed through multiple owners—Interco in 1976, Iconix Brand Group in 2006—and endured two bankruptcies, the core product remained in production. The London Fog trench coat survives because it represents a moment when American manufacturing solved a technical problem through materials science and then dressed that solution in a timeless silhouette.