Menswear
No brands that make men's pea coats in Blaenau Gwent are listed yet.
No brands listed yet
We're still researching this subcategory and would love your help. If you run a British-made brand that belongs here, list your brand. If you know of one, please tell us about it so we can review and add it to the directory.
Perhaps there's a gap in the market. This could even be your opportunity to establish a new British label.
This independent directory lists UK-made clothing brands, and marks those that make only some items here.Why choose British-made?
The pea coat comes from seafaring dress. The English word 'pea jacket' dates from the early eighteenth century and is usually traced to the Dutch 'pijjekker', from 'pij', a coarse woollen cloth, and 'jekker', a jacket. The US Navy favours another explanation that links the name to 'pilot cloth'. Early pea jackets were longer than today's. A London cutter's guide of 1825 describes a double-breasted jacket reaching below the knee, made from a coarse wool called Flushing and lined with baize. For many seamen it was the only foul-weather garment they owned. The officers' version, with gold buttons, is known as the reefer jacket. In the twentieth century, naval pea coats were usually made from heavy, dark navy Kersey wool. The wool was lightly treated so it kept its natural lanolin, which helped it shed water and hold warmth. The double-breasted front and broad collar remain the coat's defining features. Surplus coats and civilian copies brought the style into everyday wear, and it is now a classic. British makers continue to produce pea coats in dense wool cloth for cold, wet weather.