I. A Coat Born of Survival

The duffle coat’s story didn’t start in fashion houses — it started at sea. On the decks of Royal Navy ships in the First World War, young sailors braced against freezing spray and North Sea winds with nothing but heavy wool coats to shield them. The toggle closures weren’t a style choice; they were practical, designed to fasten quickly even with gloved hands. In those conditions, the coat was more than clothing — it was survival.

As I began shaping the Arc & Iveagh range, I kept coming back to that word: survival. The suede blouson gave us refinement, the waxed cotton field jacket gave us resilience, and the Harris Tweed polo coat gave us tradition and ceremony. But what about endurance? What about a style that spoke to braving the elements head-on? That gap in the collection pointed me straight to the duffle.

The problem was, the versions I found on the market didn’t live up to that legacy. Too bulky. Too boyish. Too synthetic. I wanted a coat that respected its heritage — tough, elemental, functional — but matured into something refined, a piece worthy of becoming an heirloom.

II. Origins of the Duffle

The name tells the story. The duffle coat takes its name from the Flemish town of Duffel, near Antwerp, where a heavy, coarse wool cloth was first woven in the 15th century. Thick, durable, and naturally insulating, it became the fabric of choice for capes, cloaks, and workwear across Europe. Britain imported the cloth, and over time it evolved into the coat we know today.

The design was simple but smart. A roomy cut allowed for layering. A large hood gave protection against wind and rain. The signature toggles? Pure function — easy to fasten while wearing gloves in freezing conditions. Nothing about the duffle was decorative; every detail served a purpose.

By the late 19th century, the British Navy had adopted it. In both World Wars, sailors wore duffle coats as standard issue. Life aboard those ships was unforgiving: rain, sleet, waves breaking over the deck. In that environment, the duffle wasn’t a style piece — it was armor. Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery’s preference for it during WWII only added to its legend, earning it the nickname “the Monty coat.”

After the wars, the duffle crossed into civilian life. Surplus coats flooded universities, where students and intellectuals embraced them for their practicality and quiet rebellion against formality. Designers like Gloverall refined the silhouette, and over time the duffle became both a democratic garment and a style icon. From Montgomery to Paddington Bear to Gianni Agnelli, the coat proved it could move between worlds without losing its essence.

That essence — tough, functional, adaptable — is what drew me to the style. But I didn’t want to replicate it. I wanted to take that DNA and refine it into something that felt elevated, balanced, and built to last.

III. Skellig Michael: Monastic Endurance

Skellig Michael doesn’t ease you in. It rises abruptly from the Atlantic off Ireland’s southwest coast — a jagged mass of rock where the sea crashes endlessly against its cliffs and mist drifts like a curtain across the sky. Seabirds wheel overhead, their cries carried by the wind, and the entire place feels caught between the natural and the mystical.

From the 6th century, monks chose this unforgiving island as their home. Cloaked in rough wool, they built stone beehive huts and carved steps into the cliff face. Life was brutal — gales, rain, isolation, and hunger. Yet they endured, their garments as much a shield as their faith.

That endurance is what makes Skellig such a powerful symbol. The monks’ simple wool cloaks and the Navy’s duffle coats, centuries apart, share the same purpose: to keep men standing against the elements. Both garments are about survival, not style.

Even today, the island’s drama resonates. Star Wars chose Skellig for its raw otherworldliness — a place that feels ancient and humbling. Standing there, you can’t help but feel small, but alive.

That’s why we named our duffle-inspired piece the Signal Coat. It nods to the Navy’s signaling traditions and to Skellig’s metaphorical “signal fires” — a beacon of resilience, heritage, and endurance.

IV. Reimagining the Classic: Why We Made This Coat

When I began looking seriously at the duffle, I really was disappointed by what I found. Too many of the modern versions felt oversized and clumsy, more like something you’d borrow from a lost-and-found than invest in for life. Others leaned in the opposite direction: slimmer, sharper, but cut from polyester-heavy blends that suffocated the very heritage of the garment. They looked the part on a rack, but on the body they felt flat — synthetic against the skin, lacking breathability, lacking soul. A few brands managed the silhouette well, but they lost the essence of what made the duffle endure in the first place.

We knew we could do better. For Arc & Iveagh, this coat had to respect its naval and monastic roots but still feel right for the modern gentleman. That meant starting with fabric — the foundation of everything. We chose a blend that marries durability with refinement: 80% merino wool, naturally breathable and capable of absorbing up to 30% of its own weight in moisture before feeling damp; 15% cashmere, lending softness and a quiet luxury that elevates without ostentation; and 5% silk, subtle but crucial, adding strength, drape, and a sheen that catches light in a way pure wool never could. Together, these fibers capture the balance we were after — rugged yet sophisticated, the British Isles distilled into cloth.

From there, we refined the silhouette. Still generous enough to layer over a suit or chunky knit, but without the boxiness that drowns the frame. The toggles and hood remain — they’re part of the coat’s DNA — but the proportions, detailing, and finish speak to elegance rather than utility alone.

This isn’t a duffle for boys. It isn’t fast fashion. It’s a coat designed for men who appreciate heritage, understand craftsmanship, and want a garment that feels as relevant in ten years as it does today.

V. Fashion Lineage & Cultural Legacy

The duffle coat has earned its stripes. During World War II, Field Marshal Montgomery made it iconic — so much so that it became known as the “Monty coat.”

After the war, civilians picked it up where soldiers left off. Surplus duffles found their way into university campuses, becoming a uniform of practicality and quiet rebellion for students and scholars.

In the 1950s, Gloverall refined the design for public consumption — streamlining the cut, adding softer toggles, and turning military outerwear into everyday essential.

The coat has always carried different personalities: worn by soldiers and intellectuals; cuddled by Paddington Bear; even reputed as a favorite of style icons like Gianni Agnelli. It adapts, yet always stays true to its rugged roots.

That adaptability is exactly why we created the Signal Coat. We’re honoring everything the duffle has stood for — naval toughness, monastic austerity, democratic spirit — while elevating it with refined materials, proportion, and detail. This is a coat rooted in history, yet designed for the modern, discerning wearer.

VI. Closing: A Coat of Quiet Power

The duffle has always been more than just a coat. It began with coarse wool woven in Belgian mills, carried sailors through freezing storms on British warships, shielded monks clinging to life on Skellig Michael, and later wrapped itself around postwar students in London. Few garments have lived so many lives, yet kept their identity intact.

For me, designing this coat was about solving a problem. Too often the duffle has been left behind as bulky, boyish, or synthetic. I wanted a version that felt adult, refined, and timeless — but still honest to its elemental past. That meant rethinking the fabric, the silhouette, and the purpose until we arrived at something that felt right.

The result is the Skellig Michael Signal Coat. Not fast fashion. Not costume. But heritage reborn in modern form — a coat built to weather storms, carry stories, and be passed down.

It’s the kind of piece that becomes part of your life, quietly powerful in its presence, enduring in its purpose. A true signal of what Arc & Iveagh stands for.