Driza-Bone, originating from the phrase "dry as a bone", is a trade name for the company making full-length waterproof riding coats and apparel. The company was established in 1898 and is currently Australian owned and manufactures its products in Australia. The trademark of Driza-Bone was first registered in 1933. This style of coat originated in Australia

workwear Workwear is clothing worn for work, especially work that involves manual labour. Often those employed within trade industries elect to be outfitted in workwear because it is built to provide durability and safety. The workwear clothing industr ...

for stockmen. Not traditionally considered desk-wear, the coats were developed to protect

horse The horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') is a domesticated, one-toed, hoofed mammal. It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant subspecies of ''Equus ferus''. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 mi ...

riders from the rain and feature straps that hold the coat to the rider's leg.

History

In the late 1800s, a

Scot Scottish people or Scots (; ) are an ethnic group and nation native to Scotland. Historically, they emerged in the early Middle Ages from an amalgamation of two Celtic peoples, the Picts and Gaels, who founded the Kingdom of Scotland (or ...

named Edward Le Roy emigrated to

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

. He was able to manufacture

oilskin Oilskin is a waterproof cloth used for making garments typically worn by sailors and by others in wet areas. The modern oilskin garment was developed by a New Zealander, Edward Le Roy, in 1898. Le Roy used worn-out sailcloth painted with a mixtu ...

rainwear for use by sailors on sailing ships in the local waters at the time. The garments were originally constructed from the lightweight sails of the sailing ships. The waterproofing of the clothing was by application of

linseed oil Linseed oil, also known as flaxseed oil or flax oil (in its edible form), is a colorless to yellowish oil obtained from the dried, ripened seeds of the flax plant (''Linum usitatissimum''). The oil is obtained by pressing, sometimes followed by ...

to the

cotton Cotton (), first recorded in ancient India, is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus '' Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure ...

. T. E. Pearson, the son of E. J. Pearson who started Pearson Soap in

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: * Alexander Hamilton (1755/1757–1804), first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States * ''Hamilton'' (musical), a 2015 Broadway musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda ** ''Hamilton'' (al ...

, New Zealand, took a consignment of Leroy Coats to Australia. Stockmen at the time had gathered news of this garment from sailors who had subsequently left sailing to work on the land. Because the garments were flammable around campfires, T. E. Pearson worked on developing a new formula for sealing the coats. He did this in the backyard shed of his home in Kangaroo Street, Manly. Pearson subsequently, in partnership with Leroy, registered the trademark. T.E. died in 1964 and is buried in

Frenchs Forest Frenchs Forest (pron. frenches) is a suburb of northern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Frenchs Forest is 13 kilometres north of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of Northern Beaches Coun ...

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

. Over time, changes were made to the original design in the order of: #longer coat for horse riding #fantail in the back of the coat to cover the saddle #wrist straps to secure the sleeves and stop the arms from getting cold #leg straps to stop the coat from flapping around As time went by, the linseed oil (while proving satisfactory for waterproofing) went hard and cracked in the hot summers. Le Roy and T.E. Pearson (of Pearson's Sandsoap fame) came up with a new proofing technique. This new proofing technique has remained unchanged to the present day. In late 2008, the brand was brought back into Australian ownership for the first time in many decades. The acquisition brought with it several influential industry figures, including Steve Bennett (founder of Country Road). This resulted in the immediate relocation of both the Eagleby,

Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...

, head office and primary warehousing facilities to

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Queen Victoria (1819–1901), Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress of India * Victoria (state), a state of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, a provincial capital * Victoria, Seychelles, the capi ...

. In December 2023, Driza-Bone was purchased by S. Kidman & Co.

Major appearances

2000 Olympic Games

Driza-Bone riding coats were worn by the stockmen and stockwomen at the Opening Ceremony of the

2000 Summer Olympics The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, officially branded as Sydney 2000, and also known as the Games of the New Millennium, were an international multi-sport event held from 15 September to 1 October ...

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

. Also, the 2000 Olympic Band members wore Driza-Bone coats specially made for them as band musicians, in which the sleeves were made completely differently from the sleeves of the traditional Driza-Bone riding coats worn by the riders. The red, white and blue colours of the Driza-Bone coats for the band members were also different from the usual colour of the Driza-Bone coats. Also, all the medal presenters during the 2000 Summer Olympic Games wore Driza-Bone coats.

Stage musical

Driza-Bone coats were also worn by the cast members of the 2002 theatre musical "'' The Man from Snowy River: Arena Spectacular''". These were designed by the bush/rural clothing enthusiast and designer, Robert Peron, who is a major figure in attempting to have the Driza-Bone accepted as a true fashion item far beyond its status as an

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

n icon — Driza-Bones not having entered the fashion lexicon as yet.

APEC Australia 2007

Driza-Bone coats made an appearance at the 2007 APEC Summit in Sydney. The 21 leaders at the

Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC ) is an inter-governmental forum for 21 member economy , economies in the Pacific Rim that promotes free trade throughout the Asia-Pacific region. Following the success of Association of Southeast Asia ...

conference posed in a group photo wearing Driza-Bone attire. According to an official statement, Australian Prime Minister

John Howard John Winston Howard (born 26 July 1939) is an Australian former politician who served as the 25th prime minister of Australia from 1996 to 2007. He held office as leader of the Liberal Party of Australia. His eleven-year tenure as prime min ...

selected Driza-Bone as the national outfit "with counsel and good advice" from his wife, Janette, and the APEC taskforce.Revealed: Our national dress
''

Sydney Morning Herald ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily tabloid newspaper published in Sydney, Australia, and owned by Nine Entertainment. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuously published newspaper in ...

'' 8 September 2007

''Tales from Margaritaville''

The Driza-bone duster, or stockman's coat is mentioned by name by the Tully Mars, the hero of the short story ''Take Another Road'' from the short story collection ''

Tales from Margaritaville ''Tales from Margaritaville'' is a 1989 short story collection by American singer Jimmy Buffett.The book is broken up into an introduction and three sections, each containing several short stories. ''An Introduction: Changes in Latitude'' conta ...

'', by

Jimmy Buffett James William Buffett (December 25, 1946 – September 1, 2023) was an American singer-songwriter, author, and businessman. He was known for his tropical rock sound and persona, which often portrayed a lifestyle described as "island escapis ...

References

External links

* {{Authority control Australian clothing Australian fashion Clothing brands of Australia Clothing companies established in 1898 Outdoor clothing brands Rider apparel 1898 establishments in Australia