Many of menswear’s most iconic outerwear styles have their roots in the military. The pea coat is no exception. Born aboard the naval vessels of the 1800s, this heavy woollen jacket was a creation of the Dutch, later popularised by the British Royal Navy where it became uniform for petty officers. From there it travelled across the Atlantic and was adopted by the US Navy too.
Each country had its own slight variation on the style, but the basic silhouette remained the same across all three. The important thing was that it was tough, thick and durable, capable of standing up to the notoriously wild and unpredictable weather out at sea.