Mackintosh is using wools from Loro Piana and shows it.

This post is the first of a series that will last during all of the men’s fashion-week. We are aiming to give an outlook of what will happen next season (winter 2012-2013) thanks to some pictures taken at professional tradeshows, but also to keep watching brands we like and why not to discover new ones. These articles will be our reaction right after being in front of the collections, along with some pictures taken at the shows.

Let’s start with Pitti Uomo where I’m lucky enough to be this week. This menswear show located in Florence in Italy is a monster by its size: more than 950 brands exposed (including 620 Italian brands) and 30 000 visitors during a short week. Since a few seasons now, Italy has received a lot of attention for its menswear offer. Italy has kept a good textile industry (unlike France or UK) and Italian menswear has a style of its own! It’s for all these reasons that Pitti Uomo is now amongst the most important high-end menswear shows in Europe, and maybe the world.

The first brand to catch my attention : Mackintosh. The British brand has a very rich heritage and received a full make-over a few years ago. This branding work came with the opening of a stand alone shop in Mayfair district in London and with a few interesting collaborations : Kitsuné, Nigel Cabourn and Converse to name a few. Mackintosh is amongst these few brands for which the name has become a common name. In English, a “mac” is either a computer or a full-length waterproof coat. The name of the company comes from the name of its founder : Charles Macintosh, who patented the famous waterproof cloth. This cloth is composed of two layers (twill and canvas) linked together with rubber, which makes it totally waterproof. The company is still using the same cloth today on a whole range of products, that is still handmade in Scotland. This range also features woolen detachable linings, that are made using Loro Piana’s wool. The brand worked again with Loro Piana on another range of coats, where the fabric is a specific wool treated in order to be waterproof. Finaly another range nammed “104″ (the adress of their shop in Mount Street, in Mayfair), takes inspiration from classic British outerwear to propose a more creative collection with a strong Mackintosh feeling.

Mackintosh range using Loro Piana’s waterproof wools

Mackintosh range using Loro Piana’s waterproof wools

 

The brand pays attention to the details : here an example of pattern matching on a coat’s pocket

 

The “104″ range, more creative and colorful

 

The “104″ range

 

Another example of a thought after detail : here some velvet lining that matches the collar.

 

Collar of a piece from the “104″ range

Mackintosh’s iconic coat, using their signature fabric

Mackintosh’s iconic coat, using their signature fabric

 

Mackintosh’s iconic coat, using their signature fabric

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