Khaki: What is in a name?

By

Nowa Omoigui

 The word "Khaki" has come to be synonymous with the material and tan of  uniforms worn by the Army and certain para-military organizations. It is also used by Boy Scouts and men engaged in heavy labor and has more recently evolved into mainstream Jeans fashion, including school uniforms. What is the origin of that word?

 "Khaki" is a Hindi/Sanskreet word meaning "dust-colored". It actually  refers to the color (or dye), not necessarily the actual material of the cloth, hence the phrase "Khaki camouflage". Most times, however, the cloth  is usually a tight material of cotton or wool or linen, which is then dyed "Khaki".

Originally, it was a dull brownish yellow (yellow ochre) color tone and was used because of its camouflage potential in the field, particularly by the military services of Britain, the US and France starting way back in the mid-19th century. The very first recorded use of Khaki uniforms was in 1848, by the English regiment of Sir Harry Lumsden in India after which it evolved to other British Army units and then to the French and Americans.

A green tint was later added during the First World War to create the modern  Khaki look. It later became popular outside the military as a form of smart  sports wear.

 The adoption of Khaki was not without hiccups, however. For example, according to the History of Service of the17th (The Leicestershire)  Regiment, on April 1st 1884, "Khaki clothing, consisting of coat, vest and trousers, was issued to the 1st Battalion Leicestershire Regiment, as an experiment to replace the scarlet kersey and black cloth trousers, the scarlet tunic and black trousers being also issued. The khaki clothing, as an undress uniform, was to be reported on, after 6 months' wear, with a view to its general adoption through the Army, the scarlet being still worn as a full dress. On April 01, 1885, the khaki clothing, which had been issued experimentally to the 1st Battalion, was found unsuitable and condemned, the scarlet uniform being re - issued."

In Africa, however, "Khaki" marched on, particularly among colonial  regiments.

Notably, during World War II, in North Africa, Sicily, Italy and the Far East, Commonwealth troops wore Khaki Drill uniforms that were, however, distinct from full Battle Dress. A closely related, but different army fabric used was called Chino - a very tough form of cotton purchased from China during the first world war by the U.S. military for use by its soldiers in the Philippines.

There is a well known documentary film about the history of Khaki clothing.  It is called "The Story of Khakis", produced by Spellbound Productions in1996.

NB: Does anybody know how the expression 'khaki no be leather' came about? send answers to the email above.

January 2002