Mackintosh well seated for making furniture

Mackintosh, manufacturer of traditional British outerwear, is opening its first standalone store and is expanding into furniture design and manufacture.

The company is looking for a site for its flagship in London’s West End and plans to open the store by late winter/ early spring 2002. It will start approaching design consultancies by the summer at the latest, says Mackintosh managing director Daniel Dunko.

There are also plans for a flagship store in Japan, which is scheduled to open in mid-2002.

The move comes as Mackintosh repositions itself as a luxury brand and attempts to broaden its appeal. The launch of the flagship will help the brand to establish its own personality before it branches out into new product areas and markets, including Asia and the US, adds Dunko.

“The Mackintosh brand will evolve over the coming seasons. The crucial next step is to establish exactly what the brand stands for,” he says.

At first the Mackintosh flagship will sell outerwear and accessories such as luggage, but it will seek to expand into other areas, including furniture, as the brand develops. “Plans for a furniture range are long term, but we would like to launch rubberised cotton and leather chairs and sofas,” says Dunko.

“Interiors concepts for our first store are still vague but I would like to incorporate stainless steel and white to reflect the brand’s forward-looking status, and dark mahogany wood in a nod to its strong heritage,” he adds.

Mackintosh sells clothing ranges in Harvey Nichols, Selfridges, Duffer of St George and Browns in London, and Edinburgh department store Jenners. It also manufactures own-label garments for luxury brands including Hermès and Louis Vuitton.

See News Analysis, page 8.