While the word duvet originates from France some people seem to get duvets and duvet covers mixed up even today. So what exactly is a duvet?
In simple terms a duvet is a flat bag which is filled with either feathers or down (or a mixture of the two) offering warmth and comfort when sleeping. The first duvets originated back in 1749, although they were simple featherbeds laid on top of each other for warmth in the wintertime. The first examples of duvets, which originated in rural Europe, were stuffed with Eider duck down which was well known at the time as a very useful insulator.
Since then duvets have improved dramatically in quality, texture, warmth and durability and increasing competition in the duvet market has seen prices fall across the board. The range and quality of duvets now available is enormous with silk duvets, wool duvets, cotton duvets and other types all available online ready for delivery to your doorstep.
As the duvet was being developed the idea of the duvet cover began to take shape as a way of ensuring that the duvet itself was secure on your bed. This has created a massive new market with themed duvet covers, luxury duvet sets, mens duvets, ladies duvets and duvets of all shapes, sizes and colours that you can imagine. This simple warm blanket introduced many years ago has created a multibillion pound market around the world which continues to grow and is attracting more and more attention from consumers.