Many people have owned a duffel coat or duffel bag at some point and probably have never thought twice about their origin. These items actually hail from a small Belgian town that carries the same name. The design of the coat was influenced by the Polish frock coat from the 1820s, which grew in popularity throughout Europe in the years leading up to the 1850s. This was capitalized by the British John Partridge outerwear manufacturer, who produced the first real duffel coat the same year. These coats became popular with…
