All breton fishermen used to wear heavy duty cotton clothing in summer and in winter the same garments in the pea coat thick wool. Cotton ones were woven very tight in order to cut the wind with no opening on front leaving just room to put the head through. Reefer jacket wool ones were very warm indeed and protective.

They became famous because they were not only connected to small boat fishing in the middle of the fields of stones off Brittany coasts but connected also to cod fishing in the heart of winter near Newfoundland on tiny two seats rowing boats called DORIS that were put at sea in the freezing cold, blizzard and often heavy fog to fish with hand lines a few miles from the main ship.

Saint Malo was one of the major European habours for cod fishing.