The Grandfather Of Raincoats : Mackintosh Finds A New Home On London’s Conduit Street

Mackintosh, the raincoat brand with Scottish heritage that coined the term ‘mac’ raincoat,  has set its new home on Conduit Street on the Eastern side of Mayfair. The Japanese owned brand has moved from a narrow flagship store on Mount Street to be amongst perhaps more fitting neighbours including  Japanese brands and restaurants such as Yohji Yamamoto, Issey Miyake and newly opened restaurant Tokimeite from Michelin-starred Kyoto chef Yoshihiro Murata and acclaimed designer Yasumichi Morita.

The Past

Mackintosh’s British values and lifestyle are seamlessly reflected in its solid collections of raincoats manufactured in Cumbernauld, Scotland. Established in 1820 by Charles Macintosh himself (the k was added later on), the raincoats have had a revival thanks to the vision of Daniel Dunko. He led the coats on a journey towards a contemporary positioning and has succeeded in bringing the brand to greater prominence. He took the raincoats which once only supplied the likes of British Rail and the Metropolitan Police and repositioned its as a covetable brand – noticing the value of the fabrics and craftsmanship the brand offered.

The shift was undoubtedly underway when houses such as Vuitton, Marc Jacobs and Hermes came knocking at his door asking Mackintosh to supply their production. In 2000, the brand was ready to launch its first own store in London’s Mount St.

Daniel Dunko made his way to the management of the company by initially starting as a coat maker in one of its factories. After 3 years of  gluing and taping the rubber onto the cotton fabric which makes the coats waterproof, he marched his way up to the position of managing director by turning the traditional line of raincoats into a desirable brand. He is now busy growing his own raincoat label ‘Hancock’ along with Gary Bott, also previously involved in Mackintosh’s revival. 

Now

The man behind the store’s recent opening in London and Tokyo is Yuzo Yagi proprietor of Japanese company Yagi Tsusho, which owns Barbour and recently J&M Davidson. Yuzo Yagi is obsessed with British brands, regarding them as superior in garment quality to any other European country. His goal, going forward, is to raise Mackintosh to recognition as a global luxury brand.

 

The Store

The Conduit store is one large plan story designed by D-brain, also behind a number of APC stores. It is a minimalistic space comprised of white panelled walls and floors covered in black herringbone-wood and marble. The lines are pure to match the aesthetic of the coats. Polished chrome rails are positioned vertically creating a geometric structure and setting a luxurious scene.

The centrepiece is at the back of the store, where  the seasonal collaborations sit in a floor-to-ceiling glass display. At the moment, it’s Japanese brand Hyke’s turn to display their collaboration with Mackintosh: a remix of the Mackintosh quality and subtle colors and Hyke’s sharp silhouette and patterns.  Such collaborations have allowed Mackintosh to move from its industrial heritage  to create fresh contemporary and imaginative pieces building on its unique process and fabrics.

The new store is open now located at 19 Conduit Street, London W1S 2BH.
www.mackintosh.com

Text by Tamara Akcay