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Long underwear, also calledlong johns orthermal underwear, isunderwear with long legs and long sleeves that is normally worn during cold weather. It is commonly worn by people under their clothes in colder climates.
In the United States, it is usually made from a cotton or cotton-polyester-blend fabric with awaffle weave texture, although some varieties are also made fromflannel, particularly theunion suit, while many newer varieties are made from polyester, such as theCapilene trade name.[citation needed]
European manufacturers use wool blends or even 100% wool, usuallyMerino or other high-qualitywool.[citation needed] Some models might include a thin layer ofpolyester to transport moisture away from the skin. Wool, in addition to being fire retardant, provides highly effective insulation and will keep its insulating properties even when wet, unlike cotton.
The type known as "thermal underwear" is made from two-ply fabric of either a wool layer and an artificial fibre, only wool or – again mostly in the U.S. – two layers of only artificial fibres, which uses trapped body heat to insulate against cold air. They are typically skin hugging, but not compression, to better trap air near skin for insulation and wick away moisture.
The manufacturing foundations of long johns may lie inDerbyshire, England, atJohn Smedley'sLea Mills, located inMatlock. The company has a 225-year heritage and is said to have created the garment, reputedly named after the late-19th-centuryheavyweight boxerJohn L. Sullivan; the company still produces long johns.[1]
In 2004,Michael Quinion, a Britishetymologist and writer, postulated that thejohn in the item of apparel may be a reference to Sullivan, who wore a similar-looking garment in the ring. This explanation, however, is uncertain and the term's origin is ultimately unknown.[2]
It has also been posed[by whom?] that the term is an approximation of the Frenchlongues jambes, which translates to 'long legs.'[citation needed]
Long johns were first introduced into England in the 17th century, but did not become popular assleepwear until the 18th century.
It was first used asloungewear but later became popular inTruro, Nova Scotia. In 1898, Myles and his brotherJohn had developed a product called Stanfield's Unshrinkable Underwear for their garment manufacturing company. He and his brother started with non-shrinking cotton underwear and applied for a patent for long johns on December 7, 1915.[citation needed]
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From 1914 to mid-1918, the item of underwear most purchased by various military forces was a garment known as aunion suit; it is a one-piece form of underwear covering body and legs and was the prototype of the Chineseqiuyi (秋衣), the top part, andqiuku (秋裤), the bottom part. After 1918, countries returned to producing for civilians.
Demand declined following the spread of central heating and more frequent baths or showers.
In China, people use separate words to refer to the two parts of long underwear, and the terms vary across the country. In the northern part, people refer to the top asxianyi and the bottom asxianku. People living south of theYellow River and north of theYangtze River refer to the top asqiuyi and the bottom asqiuku. People living south of the Yangtze River call the topmianmao yi and the bottommianmao ku.[3]
In the early 2010s, a myth spread through Chinese social media that long underwear was part of theSoviet Union's conspiracy to prevent Chinese military powers from invading Soviet soil in the far east. The myth suggested that the Soviet Union believes that long underwear reduces Chinese soldiers' adaptability in cold climates based on the since-debunked theory ofLysenkoism popular in the mid-20th century.[4]
