Duffel

Duffel is a place name: the town of Duffel in the province of Antwerp, Belgium, about 20 kilometers south of Antwerp. The town produced a thick, coarse wool fabric starting in the 17th century, and the fabric took the town's name. Duffel cloth was heavy, napped, and water-resistant — practical rather than elegant. It was the fabric of working people, soldiers, and sailors.

The duffel bag — a large cylindrical bag made from duffel cloth — became standard military issue in many European armies. The bag was simple: a tube of heavy fabric with a drawstring closure. No compartments, no zippers, no structure. You stuffed things in and pulled the string. The bag's design has barely changed in three centuries. Modern duffel bags may use nylon or canvas instead of duffel cloth, but the shape and the name remain.

The duffel coat — a hooded overcoat fastened with toggle buttons and rope loops — became famous during World War II when the Royal Navy issued them to sailors. Field Marshal Montgomery wore a duffel coat throughout the war, making it iconic. The coat's toggle closures were designed to be operated with cold, gloved hands. After the war, surplus duffel coats became fashionable civilian outerwear, particularly among students and intellectuals in the 1950s and 1960s.

The word duffel is one of many textile terms derived from place names: denim (de Nîmes), cambric (Cambrai), muslin (Mosul), calico (Calicut). But Duffel is among the smallest places to give its name to a global product. The town has about 17,000 residents. It does not make duffel cloth anymore. The word has outlived the industry.