Believe it or not, the stylish mac, originally named the Mackintosh jacket (with a “k”), has been around since 1823. The first Mackintosh was sold in 1824. Although the jacket has evolved over the years, in some cases to the generic mac or trench coat, the original material was rubberised.
While a surgeon, James Syme, is often credited with inventing the material in the Mackintosh, it was a Scottish man, Charles Macintosh who patented the material for the jacket.
The fabric was created by joining two fabrics together with liquid rubber, the material was entirely sealed, preventing any precipitation from seeping through. The jackets were unlike anything else that existed at the time. They offered two particularly brilliant positives, dryness and comfort. The mac jacket was born.
Although Macintosh continued to develop their product in the 19th and 20th century along with Thomas Hancock, other companies began to make copies of the mac jacket. The Mackintosh company was taken over by Dunlop Rubber in 1925.
In the early 1990’s, with the company on the verge of becoming bankrupt, senior members decided to market it as a luxury upmarket product and began collaborating with brands like Gucci and Louis Vuitton.
The company’s name was officially changed to Mackintosh in 2003 and opened its first store in London. The jacket was even adopted by the British army and police departments.
Queen Elizabeth II in her Mackintosh jacket!
Over the years, other companies, including Reiss and Burberry, have released their own version of the mac, but let’s be fair, the original is best.
This article was brought to you in association with HTC, Beautifully designed smartphones & manufacturer of the world’s most awarded Smartphone in 2013, the HTC One
