Waterproof raincoat
This article is about the waterproof coat. For the confectioner, see
Mackintosh's
. For other uses, see
McIntosh
.
Not to be confused with
Macintosh
, a line of personal computers created by
Apple
.
The
Mackintosh raincoat
(abbreviated as
mac
) is a form of waterproof
raincoat
, first sold in 1824, made of
rubberised
fabric
.
[2]
The Mackintosh is named after its
Scottish
inventor
Charles Macintosh
, although many writers added a letter
k
. The variant spelling of "Mackintosh" is now standard.
[3]
Although the Mackintosh coat style has become generic, a genuine
[
citation needed
]
Mackintosh coat is made from rubberised or rubber laminated material.
History
[
edit
]
It has been claimed that the material was invented by the surgeon
James Syme
, but then copied and patented by
Charles Macintosh
;
[4]
Syme's method of creating the solvent from coal tar was published in Thomson's
Annals of Philosophy
in 1818;
[5]
this paper also describes the dissolution of
natural rubber
in naphtha.
However, a detailed history of the invention of the Mackintosh was published by Schurer.
[6]
The essence of Macintosh's process was the sandwiching of an impermeable layer of a solution of rubber in naphtha between two layers of fabric. The naphtha was
distilled
from coal tar, with the
Bonnington Chemical Works
being a major supplier.
[7]
Syme did not propose the sandwich idea, and his paper did not mention waterproofing. Waterproofing garments with rubber was an old idea and was practised in pre-Columbian times by the Aztecs, who impregnated fabric with
latex
. Later French scientists made balloons gas-tight (and incidentally, impermeable) by impregnating fabric with rubber dissolved in turpentine, but this solvent was not satisfactory for making apparel.
In 1830 Macintosh's company merged with the clothing company of
Thomas Hancock
in
Manchester
. Hancock had also been experimenting with rubber coated fabrics since 1819. Production of rubberised coats soon spread across the UK. All kinds of coats were produced with rubberized material, including
riding coats
and coats supplied to the British Army, British railways, and UK police forces.
Early coats had problems with poor smell, stiffness, and a tendency to melt in hot weather. Hancock improved his waterproof fabrics, patenting a method for
vulcanising
rubber in 1843, solving many of the problems.
[8]
Throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, the company continued to make waterproof clothing. In 1925 the company was taken over by
Dunlop Rubber
.
[9]
Revival
[
edit
]
In the mid-1990s the Mackintosh brand owner, Traditional Weatherwear, was on the verge of closing its factory in
Blairlinn
,
Cumbernauld
near Glasgow.
[10]
Around the turn of the 21st century, senior staff members acquired the company and established the traditional rubberised Mackintosh coat as an upmarket brand in its own right. The company collaborated with leading
fashion
houses such as
Gucci
,
Hermes
,
Louis Vuitton
, and
Liberty
. The coats became particularly popular with Japanese women, and the company won a
Queen's Award for Enterprise
in 2000 for its success in international trade.
[11]
In December 2003 the company name was formally changed to Mackintosh.
In 2007, Mackintosh was bought by Tokyo firm Yagi Tsusho.
[1]
With the backing of its parent company Mackintosh has continued to expand its reputation and marketing operations. In January 2011, the company opened its first fashion store in London.
[12]
[13]
References
[
edit
]
Bibliography
[
edit
]
External links
[
edit
]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to
Mackintosh
.
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