London FogMaincoat Men's Luxury Trench/Rain Coat

An American IconIsrael Myers, the originator of the London Fog raincoat, After making raincoats for the Army in World War II, Mr. Myers's Londontown Manufacturing Company was the first to popularize the military trench coat for civilians wear. The design and pioneering use of polyester blends helped Londontown become the dominant maker of men's coats in the United States in the 1960s and '70sHe became a statewide champion in shorthand while attending Baltimore City College. Just before graduating at 17, Mr. Myers was hired as a stenographer with the Makeover, Roten Company, a maker of naval officers' clothing.Mr. Myers worked for that company, with increasingly more responsible jobs, while earning a law degree at the University of Maryland at night. By 1927, the company changed its name to Londontown Clothes and began to focus on expensive men's suits and coats.The company's big break came during the war when the Army ordered 10,000 raincoats. After the war, Londontown found a receptive market for its trench coats at leading retailers like Sears, Roebuck & Company, and the J. C. Penney Company. In 1951, Mr. Myers started experimenting with a fabric that was 50 percent cotton and 50 percent Dacron polyester, a blend that was both lightweight and waterproof. After working with DuPont to perfect the fabric so that it could be used in automated manufacturing equipment, the company introduced the London Fog Raincoat in 1954. It quickly became the company's signature product.