In 1954 the Morris family, the senior member being a Master Tailor, took the original beneficial characteristics of the British Armed Services regulation issue Duffle and redesigned it. The result was a unique high quality garment that could be worn both as fashion and as a practical item of outerwear clothing.

The original jute rope and wooden fastenings, so easily fastened and unfastened when wearing gloves in inclement conditions at sea, were replaced by high quality leather thongs and real horn toggles. The oversized bucket hood (with its strap and button adjustments) big enough to wear over a naval cap was redesigned into the flatter more stylish “pancake” hood.


Flaps were added to the large patch pockets, still able to accommodate the gloved hand. The inside of the coat was made to look more elegant with the development of a double face (2 pieces of fabric woven together for protection and warmth) quality woollen cloth with a distinctive check design on the inner side. Buttons were upgraded from the cheaper cocoa nut buttons to superior horn buttons. From the Military duffle coat the Morris family had the challenge to make a unique high quality fashionable garment, which they achieved with the much admired and sought after Classic Gloverall dufflecoat.



The area of Malines and Duffelzandhoven which is now in part a suburb of Antwerp is believed to be the origin of the name Duffle. The people in these parts made clothes from the traditional thick woollen felt type weather proof cloth which was produced in that region.

Archive photographs show Sailors in the British Royal Navy wearing a coat made in this same thick woollen cloth. Photographs of servicemen during the 1914-18 war show a duffle type coat with its distinctive toggle and loop front fastening and fixed shoulder cape (an additional thickness of cloth attached on the shoulders for extra warmth and strength).

  Between the end of the World War 1 and the start of World War 2 the coat was modified into the traditional naval duffle which from 1939 started to have a certain sort of glamour.

  In 1951 Harold & Freda Morris who specialised in selling cotton, leather, plastic coated chainmail 'gloves' and 'overalls' were approached by the Ministry of Defense to help them dispose of their surplus supplies of World War 2 duffle coats Mr. Harold Morris then conceived the name Gloverall for his new company.

 

The Morris family had great success in selling the surplus supplies of the duffle and in 1954 with booming sales and no more surplus stock available, they decided to produce their own dufflecoat thus making the ex Military duffle into a unique fashionable garment.

They did this by improving the fit and styling. By public demand in 1956 a stylish ladies cut was added to the range, after this a practical children’s duffle coat ideal for schoolwear was developed.


The Gloverall philosophy was then established to make garments of the finest quality woollen fabrics combined with the best of traditional British workmanship. Constant research into design was applied to continually improve the appearance and quality of Gloverall garments.
  In 1968 Gloverall opened offices in New York. 70% of Gloverall sales are exported to well over 40 countries worldwide.
  In 1986 the international reputation of Gloverall was confirmed when a Customer Awareness League of British Outerwear put Gloverall 3rd after Burberry and Aquascutum.
  In 1987 Gloverall became one of the 1st winners of the British Apparel Export Awards. That same year HRH The Princess Royal visited the Gloverall factory.
  In 1993 Gloverall received another accolade in being awarded the prestigious Queens Award for Export.


They are amongst a long list of the rich and famous who have been seen in a Gloverall duffle and here are a few others.

The angry young men of the CND marches in the 1950's, Stars of entertainment through the years from Bing Crosby and Perry Como to Oasis in the 1990's and macho film stars from John Wayne and Clint Eastwood to comedy stars Terry Thomas and Dudley Moore. From the world of politics, former French Prime Minister Georges J R Pompidou, and ex- British political leader Michael Foot.

For the wealthy, Charlotte the second daughter of Henry Ford was seen wearing her Gloverall dufflecoat when eloping to get married to Stavros Niarchos the Greek shipping magnate in St Moritz in Switzerland.

Gloverall have also made for Royalty with dufflecoats being specially made for the children of HRH The Princess Royal and true winter heroes like the members of the "British Transglobe Expedition" including its Patron HRH The Prince of Wales.

In the world of Sport Torville and Dean competing at the Winter Olympics at Lake Placid in the USA.


A press circular during a visit to the Gloverall factory by Princess Anne made these interesting comparisons "What Lords and the MCC are to cricket, and Twickenham is to Rugby Union, Wellingborough and Gloverall are to the Duffle Coat"

When books are written to describe British Culture and Traditional British Quality amongst its pages you will invariably find Gloverall with the Classic 512 featured.

And finally, a Japanese Interpreter Mrs. Sumiko Thomas quoted a comparison from a very well known Japanese poem written by MIAZAWA KENJI, which reads...
AMENIMO MAKEZU KAZE NIMO MAKEZU -
Which when translated means

"Not defeated by wind or rain".
What a good description.

No! Gloverall are still creating new styles and colours for its dufflecoat and are now breaking new ground by selling on the internet.

 

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