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After 100 years . . . the Mac is back in fashion
EXCLUSIVE: one of the latest designs from the Cumbernuald factory, the green mac is £450 and bag £240
HIDDEN GEM: Mackintosh's factory in Cumbernauld
SALES MANAGER ALISTAIR PORTEOUS: It's exciting when the design arrives at the factory from Louis Vitton or Liberty
For more than a century, Mackintoshes have weathered constant changes in fashion and taste to become a favourite accessory all over the world.
Now the Mackintosh, which has been made by the same company since 1896, has taken a new direction and this week will be the toast of London Fashion Week.
KATHLEEN MANSON reports on a local success story that has kept pace with the changing face of fashion.
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CHERIE Blair and Kate Moss have one. So does the King of Spain.
Paul Newman is a proud owner, as is model Christy Turlington.
From Prime Minister's wife to overseas royalty, all of them know a timeless fashion classic when they see it.
The Mackintosh coat is more than 100 years old but has become a fashion cult that has stood the test of time. It is sleek and stylish, and can be worn anywhere.
Top fashion names are clamouring to work with Mackintosh, which this weekend takes its brand-recognition campaign one stage further with the opening of a store in Burlington Arcade, Piccadilly, in the heart of London's shopping mecca.
The one surprise comes when you learn where the Mackintosh company is based. Not in Paris, or Milan, or even London.
Home is a brick-built factory in Cumbernauld, less than 15 miles from Glasgow city centre.
Nor is it a huge operation: just over 50 people are employed there.
In Scotland, the company's products are on sale in places such as Jenner's in Edinburgh, and at Gleneagles Hotel.
The philosophy is best summed up by the company's own words: "For those who truly desire to have the genuine article in today's throwaway society, there is no alternative to the true Mackintosh garment."
Alistair Porteous, sales manager for Traditional Weatherwear, which is more familiarly known as Mackintosh, says: "The Mackintosh label means quality, hand-made craftsmanship.
"I think the big fashion designers reluctantly accept it does not do them any harm to have our label on their coats.
"The coats are popular with people from all walks of life because they know they are buying into something they can rely on.
"They know the coat will still look good even after it has been worn for years.
"There are a lot of imitations out there, but most of them leak like sieves - even the coat Paul Newman wore in the film The Mackintosh Man technically was not a Mac, although he does own one."
The Mackintosh has become a generic term for a raincoat in recent years, but in order to be a true Mackintosh the coat should be constructed from rubberised or rubber laminated fabric. The secret of the coat's success is the unique waterproof fabric, and the fact they are glued together, not stitched, which makes them 100% waterproof.
Around 90% of the company's coats go outside Scotland, to Europe, Japan and America.
The coats are priced around £350, though a designer-label version can cost as much as £1200.
What started out as the idea of a Glasgow chemist is today a business worth approximately £5million.
Charles Macintosh - the name at that time did not have the K - was born in 1766 and wanted to create an alternative to the heavy oil-skin coats that people used to wear.
He devised a rubber solution that could be spread over cotton fabric, which was then rolled flat and heat-bonded together - a process still used today.
Mackintosh produces around 2000 coats each year - and one coat-maker can make around 20 coats per week.
The latest designs come in sleek silhouettes and in bright colours, like pea green and tomato red, and have quirky, trendy patterns.
In the past, Mackintosh has collaborated with such names as Gucci and Hermes, and it is working on new collections for Louis Vuitton and Liberty.
And the new London store, spread across two levels, is sure to spread the Mackintosh gospel even further afield.
But Mr Porteous admits: "We seem to have a bigger reputation overseas than we do in our own country and I am not sure why that is.
"The Mackintosh label is an indication of quality and craftsmanship that seems to appeal to overseas buyers.
"It is something we are looking to change in this country and we hope our new store in London will be the start of a new era for Mackintosh. Rather than it just being the label inside a Louis Vuitton coat, it will be a recognised brand in its own right."
Professor Christopher Moore, a retail and marketing expert at Glasgow Caledonian University, says luxury brands such as Mackintosh have a timeless appeal for choosy consumers.
"The raincoat is a core element of many big, British fashion labels. It is hugely practical, and consumers can invest money in something like a raincoat and know, because of our climate, they are going to get a lot of use out of it.
"The Mackintosh coat has the heritage, similar to other brands in Scotland such as Pringle. It is the right time for these well-established brands because it is what consumers are looking for.
"One of the key things happening within the fashion market right now is the search for the authentic. Consumers are looking beyond the fad culture and are looking for heritage, a pedigree, and something with credibility. People want fashion that says something about them and shows discriminating taste.
"Flagship stores are important to companies trying to get their brands available to the right sort of people. A major store will get people talking and engage the public's interest because it is something they can see."
In the Cumbernauld factory, at Blairlinn Industrial Estate, what hits you first is not something you can see. Rather, it is something you can smell - a powerful, but not entirely unpleasant, smell of glue.
"You get used to it," says Mr Porteous.
He explains how the coats are put together.
"It's exciting when the design arrives at the factory from Louis Vuitton or Liberty as a fabric template.
We then make up the coat and send it back to the fashion house, which makes any final adjustments to the design.
"We make the final product in our Mackintosh fabric. One coat is made by one person, from start to finish, so it can be traced right back to the individual who made it. It is an expensive way to make clothing because it is very labour intensive, which is why no other company makes coats the way we do."
George Carty, 64, who lives in Cumbernauld, has been at the factory for almost 40 years.
"I like working here," he says.
"I have been a waterproof coat-maker since I was 15. It is a dying art. Not many people know how to make a proper, waterproof coat these days.
"It requires a lot of concentration and there is a real skill to getting difficult areas, such as the shoulders, bonded together neatly. In the old days people went home wet through because it would be such hot work - that's why they were called sweat-shops."
"Things are different now, but the way the coats are made has not changed and the young boys who are training now are learning the exact techniques I did 40 years ago."
Margaret Young, 54, is responsible for 'finishing' the coats, which means she stitches in details such as button holes and gives the coat a final check.
She says: "Everyone in Cumbernauld knows the factory and the people who work here.
It is like a community within a community. We have our own football team and everyone gets on really well.
"It gives satisfaction because you are working with coats designed by top fashion houses.
It is good for Cumbernauld, and for Scotland, that the business is doing so well."
Adds Professor Moore: "The Mackintosh has clean-cut lines and is incredibly stylish. But it is also an investment, a lifestyle statement and is also very practical - why not have the best if you can afford it?"
• www.mackintoshrainwear.co.uk
