We report here a simple strategy for fabricating asymmetrically superhydrophobic cotton fabric via a mist copolymerization of three monomers, 2,2,2-trifluoroethyl methacrylate (TFMA), 2-isocyanatoethyl methacrylate (IEM), and divinylbenzene (DVB). The copolymer layer on the cotton surface was confirmed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis and attenuated total reflection (ATR) accessory, and the nanoscale hierarchical structures in the polymeric layer were demonstrated by observation of field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM). Surface characterization reveals that the modified surface is superhydrophobic, but the opposite side of the modified cotton fabric has the hydrophilic nature of cotton. More experimental data suggest that the good water adsorptivity and vapor transmissibility of the original cotton fabric were inherited after the surface modification. These properties are of great significance in textile and medical applications. (c) 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2015, 53, 1862-1871