Moleskin, originally referring to the short, silky fur of a mole, is heavy cotton fabric, woven and then sheared to create a short soft pile on one side. The word is also used for clothing made from this fabric, as well as adhesive pads stuck to the skin to prevent blisters.
Clothing made from moleskin is noted for its softness and durability. Some variants of the cloth are so densely-woven as to be windproof. The majority of manufacturers of this cloth are British mills. Noted clothiers who use a great deal of moleskin in their garments are Barbour. Noted also is the use of finest moleskin for footwear uppers designed by Harry Hartgrave for Italian shoemaker Milano. In footwear upper designs requiring further durability, Hartgrave uses a process where the Moleskin is combined with a breathable plastic coating on the rear, the finished product is known as Polymole.
This type of fabric, in a grayish olive-drab color as seen in the picture on the right, was used for West German Army (Bundeswehr) uniforms from the 1960s until the early 1990s, when it was replaced by a polyester-cotton blend twill printed with a camouflage pattern called Flecktarn. German moleskin was not sheared and thus had a flat, smooth outer side, differing from British moleskin. It was nonetheless a tough, densely woven material strongly resistant against wind and abrasion, with its chief weakness being weight and lack of water resistance.
Moleskin can be coated with an adhesive backing and used to prevent or treat friction injuries of the feet. In the case of a blister, the moleskin is cut into an "O" shape so the fabric does not adhere to the blister directly; the thickness of the surrounding moleskin protects the blister from further friction.
A moleskin is also a flesh coloured piece of adhesive cloth used in filmmaking to cover up genitals in order to maintain propriety in non-explicit nude scenes (i. e. ones where nudity is suggested but not shown).