Flannelisafabricthatiscommonlyusedtomakeclothingandbedsheets.Itisusuallymadefromeitherwool,woolandcotton,orwoolandsyntheticfabric.Theterm"flannel"isalsooftenusedtoreferdirectlytotheclothingcreatedfromthefabric.Clothingmadefromitisusuallywornincoldweatherclimatesduetothewarmnessthatthefabricisknownfor.
Formuchofitshistory,flannelwascommonlythoughttobethefabricofwoodsmen,lumberjacks,andfarmers.However,duetothefactthatmanypeopleinthePacificNorthwestoftheUnitedStates(especiallyinSeattle,Washington)havehadatendencytowearit,flannelhasbecomeassociatedwithgrungemusic.Thisideawasevenfurtherpopularizedbythefactthatmanygrungemusicians(suchasmembersofNirvana)oftenworeclothingmadefromit.Forashorttimeintheearly1990sflannelwasthoughtbysometobeafashionstatement(orinsomecasesananti-fashionstatement).