Mackintosh
Established 1824Founded in 1824 by Charles Macintosh, a Scottish chemist and inventor of waterproof fabrics, Mackintosh is a manufacturer of waterproof raincoats, made out of rubberized fabric. The Mackintosh style of coat (as pictured above) has become generic, but a genuine Mackintosh coat should be made from rubber laminated material.
In 1830 Macintosh merged with the clothing company Thomas Hancock, who improved the coat by taping and glueing seams to resist the elements more than stitches alone. Together they produced riding coats and coats supplied to the British army, British railways and UK police forces. In the mid 1990s the Mackintosh brand owner, Traditional Weatherwear, was on the verge of closing its factory. Senior staff members acquired the company and established the traditional rubberised Mackintosh coat as an upmarket brand, collaborating with Gucci, Hermès, Louis Vuitton and Liberty. As the coats became particularly popular with Japanese women, Mackintosh was bought by Tokyo firm Yagi Tsusho in 2007.
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