fustian

Fustian is a term for a variety of heavy woven, mostly cotton fabrics, chiefly used for mens' clothing. It embraces plain twilled cloth called jean, and cut fabrics similar to velvet, such as velveteen, moleskin, corduroy, etc.

The original medieval fustian was a stout but respectable cloth with a cotton weft and a linen warp, derived from El-Fustat, a suburb of Cairo, where it was first made, although manufacture soon spread to Europe. The term seems to have quickly become less precise, and was applied to a coarse cloth made of wool and flax or wool and linen. By the early 20th century, fustians were usually of cotton dyed various colors.