An Afghan coat is a sheepskin or goatskin coat made with the fleece on the inside and the soft

suede Suede (pronounced ) is a type of leather with a fuzzy, napped finish, commonly used for jackets, shoes, fabrics, purses, furniture, and other items. The term comes from the French , which literally means "gloves from Sweden". The term was firs ...

-like leather on the outside. It is a development of the traditional overcoat of the Afghan people, which could be anywhere from jacket- to ankle-length, with full or partial sleeves. Modern Afghan coats originate from

Ghazni Ghazni ( prs, غزنی, ps, غزني), historically known as Ghaznain () or Ghazna (), also transliterated as Ghuznee, and anciently known as Alexandria in Opiana ( gr, Αλεξάνδρεια Ωπιανή), is a city in southeastern Afghanistan ...

province, situated between

Kabul Kabul (; ps, , ; , ) is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. Located in the eastern half of the country, it is also a municipality, forming part of the Kabul Province; it is administratively divided into 22 municipal districts. Acco ...

and

Kandahar Kandahar (; Kandahār, , Qandahār) is a city in Afghanistan, located in the south of the country on the Arghandab River, at an elevation of . It is Afghanistan's second largest city after Kabul, with a population of about 614,118. It is the c ...

. The coats were made from sheepskins that were fully cured and tanned, colourful and finely embroidered with

silk Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. The protein fiber of silk is composed mainly of fibroin and is produced by certain insect larvae to form cocoons. The best-known silk is obtained from the ...

thread. They are ideal for the climate in Afghanistan, which is extremely cold and severe in the winter. The Afghan coats were first imported to the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

in 1966 by

Craig Sams Craig Sams (born 17 July 1944) is a UK-based businessman and author. Early life and education Craig Sams was born in Nebraska. He graduated from Wharton Business School in 1966. Career In October 1966, Sams went to England with plans to open a ma ...

, who sold them through hippie boutiques including Granny Takes a Trip on London's

King's Road King's Road or Kings Road (or sometimes the King's Road, especially when it was the king's private road until 1830, or as a colloquialism by middle/upper class London residents), is a major street stretching through Chelsea and Fulham, both ...

The Beatles The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developmen ...

visited the shop and emerged wearing the coats. Photographs of them in Afghan coats appeared in print media. They also wore them, inside out, for the cover picture of the

Magical Mystery Tour ''Magical Mystery Tour'' is a record by the English rock band the Beatles that was released as a double EP in the United Kingdom and an LP in the United States. It includes the soundtrack to the 1967 television film of the same name. The EP ...

LP. Demand took off and the artisanal makers of Ghazni could not keep up. Crude imitations from

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

and

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula in ...

flooded the market. These coarsely embroidered and poorly cured imitations gave the 'Afghan Coat' its undeserved reputation for smelliness. John Lennon's coat is now in the Julian Lennon Collection. Imitations of the original design continued to be very popular in the 1970s and 1980s particularly associated with the hippie subculture.

Gallery

Afghaanse jas van bruine suède met langharig bont langs de randen en manchetten en doorgestikt borduursel in crème en roze, haaksluiting voorzijde, objectnr 24389(1).JPG,

References

External links

* Coats (clothing) {{clothing-stub

Gallery

See also

References

External links