A Donkey Jacket is a medium-length work wear jacket for men, typically made of unlined black or dark blue thick Melton woolen material, with the shoulders back and front reinforced and protected from rain with leather or PVC panels.
In 1888 George Key designed a new type of coat made of a hard-wearing material developed for those who were working on the construction of the Manchester Ship Canal. Some of the navies worked on donkey engines (a steam-powered winch or logging engine), providing the inspiration for the name of George Key’s new coat: the Donkey Jacket.
The Donkey Jacket is regarded as typical of the British manual laborer. It is also favored by traditionalist Teddy boys, Rockabillys and skinheads.
The Combat brand has been manufacturing in England, the world famous Donkey jacket since the 1960’s, as demand grew, so did Combat’s range of Donkey Jackets, from a classic PVC shoulder Donkey jacket, to a plain shoulder, and recently a premium range of Leather Nubuck, was launched.