Quilted Jackets Guide – How to Buy, History & All You Need To Know

Although it is still cold outside in most parts of the northern hemisphere, you may already yearn for sunny spring days and with it a change of wardrobe. While a trench coat is often the right topcoat, the shorter quilted jacket is also a popular companion for the outdoors during spring. No matter whether you are in the city running errands, or if you go fishing and hunting in the country, quilted jackets are nearly always

appropriate. Hence, I would like to elaborate on this outer garment today, starting with its history, followed by a picture series of different variations and finally, a how-to-buy guide so you can find the perfect jacket for you.

Double quilted jacket in wool

History of Quilted Jackets

Before I focus on the quilted jacket as we know it today, it is important to understand what quilting is and how it developed.

Historic Quilted under armor

Terminology

Quilting refers to any run of stitching – either decoratively or just in a straight run – that combines at least two layers of cloth. Often, you will find a third padding layer or interlining between the cloth, which provides the popular, three dimensional look on diamond quilted jackets. The term ‘quilt’ seems to have originated in England in the 12th century  and derives from the Latin word cucita, which means cushion or bolster.

Quilt History

Although quilting became particularly popular in the 17th century, its roots go back to the middle ages. Interestingly, it was not just used in Europe, but also in India and the Far East. In the beginning quilting was mostly used for bed covers but also for clothing that was supposed to be light weight and insulating at the same time. Technically, the advantage of layering is the addition of trapped air which acts as an insulator; quilting also keeps insulating material such as down from moving around. Apart from that, it was also used under armor to make the metal suits more wearable. People who could not afford a suit of armor would often just wear the quilted undergarment.

Steve Guylas & the Husky Quilted Jacket

Considering the long standing tradition of quilting, it seems surprising that the quilted jacket as we know it today was just invented in 1965 by Steve Guylas and his wife Edna. Mr. Guylas was born in Pennsylvania and retired from the  US Air Force in 1960 with an eye disease and so he felt that the only thing left for him was to become a business owner. Since he was an anglophile he moved with his wife to England, where he started three businesses: First,  Husky Ltd in Tostock, Suffolk (which later became Husky Inc.) produced thermal outerwear and the infamous quilted jackets that he even supplied to the British Royal family. Second, Husky Riding Center Ltd. just outside of London which served as an indoor jumping center and lastly, a tackle shop.

All of the Guylas businesses started with the name Husky. As a country, fishing and hunting enthusiast Guylas would go out with his husky dog for a walk and hence he chose the name.

The first quilted garment Guylas designed was a waterproof, quilted vest made of polyester for shooting. It soon became popular with his club colleagues and so he made a quilted jacket. Initially, they were only available in pale olive green and navy blue,but with increasing demand, the product portfolio grew as did the color palette for the jackets. Probably the most important factor in popularizing the jacket was the British Royal family. The Queen would wear a quilted husky jacket with a brown corduroy collar for riding, and soon celebrities in Britain and Europe followed. In the 1980’s it also became a wardrobe staple of the sloane rangers in the UK and then swapped over to the US.