The company who manufacture Driza-Bone (trademark first registered in 1933) – “dry as a bone” – was established in 1898. It is Australian owned and is manufactured in Australia.
The Driza-Bone derives from traditional Australian stockman coats with a tough cotton construction and an oilskin coating. Used primarily for riding, they are long in the body and tied at the legs for protection for horse and rider against the rain.
See also Piaggio Vespa ET2 – as they are also perfect as coats for riding scooters in all manner of wet London conditions.
Oilskin manufacturer, Emilius Le Roy, emigrated from Scotland to New Zealand in the late 1880’s and recycled clothes for sailors from lightweight sails that were waterproofed by the application of linseed oil. T.E. Pearson took Leroy Coats to Australia where they sold well to stockmen, he also developed a new means on sealing the coats to reduce their flammability. He and Leroy entered a partnership to make the coats.
Steve Bennett, the Australian who founded Country Road in 1974 – “creating simply beautiful merchandise designed to reflect an authentically Australian way of life” – purchased the company in late 2008 and relocated the business to Melbourne, (Victoria).
Aside from its classic design and hard wearing qualities, in my experience of many years of wearing, Driza-Bone coats are very comfortable and hugely durable even in the worst weather. They are not a fashion item – they sit above that – but they are an iconic symbol of their Australian heritage.
Photo from Driza-Bone
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