The Duffle-coat

The duffle coat is a monument to fashion. Both literally and figuratively. Its history was first woven in the 17th century in Belgium, in Duffelzandhoven, where the well-named duffel, a thick, black wool, was used to make the coats worn by the 17th-century navy. The coat quickly crossed the Channel and was adopted by England. There, it became the duffel coat, soon anglicized as "duffle coat", a warm and functional garment. Speaking of monuments: until World War Two, the
duffle coat became one of the symbols of the Royal English Navy.

Beginning in the 1940s and 50s, the duffle coat freed itself from its military image, stock from the English army was distributed across the country, and little by little, it gained popularity among English and French students. It was an accessible garment that perfectly suited its time.
In the 1960s, it was adopted by student protesters. Its success was never again called into question.