Mackage, The Montréal Outerwear Label
Mackage, About The Brand
Montreal is undisputedly the hub of Canada when it comes to fashion. Arguably the biggest contemporary outerwear label to come out of the ‘Sin City’, and the one you have most likely heard of, is Mackage.
Founded in 1999 by Eran Elfassy, the Canadian fashion designer chose the name Mackage by taking inspiration of his nieces’ pronunciation of the French word “maquillage” (meaning makeup). 2 years later and Eran teamed up with his childhood friend Elisa Dahan and the brand has grown from there. In the beginnings Mackage was purely producing contempory leather outerwear before quickly spotting a gap in the outerwear market and then started offering wool and down filled pieces. It was important to Elfrassy & Dahan to retain the same ‘DNA’ that led to their up rise, so they focused on providing slim fitting down jackets that would also be viable for city life.
The brand doesn’t compromise on quality and prices itself towards the luxury end of the fashion market. Elisa Dahan recently highlighted that the statement piece known as the ‘Mackage Collar’ a heart-shaped neckline pea coat ($1,050/£790), as a bestseller for the brand. This is likely due to clever celebrity marketing and a big thanks to the Duchess of Sussex who was spotted wearing the necklace a few months ago as well as the ‘Elodie’ coat, which resulted in 5.6 billion impressions for the brand online.
Mackage now has six own-brand stores in the US & Canada and supplies 943 stockists globally across 27 different markets. The brand is now looking to grow their presence in the UK following the rise of the two biggest Canadian outerwear giants, Canada Goose and Moose Knuckles. The 51 stockists Mackage supply includes Harrods, Flannels and of course Stuarts London! Dahan has publicly expressed how picky they are when it comes to choosing partners and stockists in order to grow their presence in the UK and globally as it is “important to really define our brand through that, since that’s how it’s being sold”.
Brand Ethos
The goal since has always been to execute the perfect balance between fashion and function. The Canadian brand’s collections feature the finest wool, down and leather materials all with ethical considerations at the forefront of their visions. All of the raw materials and trims used in production are OEKO-TEX certified, meaning every component of the garment is tested for & contains no human-ecological damaging substances. All of the down feather used in their winter garments is also RDS certified, meaning it is ethically sourced and 100% sustainable and traceable back to its source. Mackage uses only whole and undamaged clusters to achieve maximum warmth.
Mackage jackets contain one of the highest qualities of down, with a minimum of 800 FP* and at least 90% down. For its weight, our down has superior FP* *The quality of down is indicated by its fill power (FP), which is the weight to volume ratio. * Each glass shows the same weight of down. All the leather components found in Mackage pieces are of the highest quality & sourced from LWG verified tanneries. This ensures not only that the leather is sustainably and responsibly sourced, but also that production of the leather was as efficient as possible in regards to water usage, emission levels and energy consumption.
As the now popular parka jacket has made its way purely from the arctic conditions and slopes into city life over the past two decades, Mackage is now targeting the urban street culture whilst providing the same level of functionality as those parka jackets provided all those years ago. This is what the two founders had to say on the Urban Safari collection released in January, aimed at city life: “Because the city is a concrete jungle, we want you to feel ready for the action and adventure of your everyday life. This is our take on the classic Safari look, with utilitarian pockets and fastenings that make for practical and functional details and suggest an urban edge.” Eran Elfassy and Elisa Dahan”
Quality
Although production of their clothing is now moving away from Canada into Eastern Europe & China, Mackage thoroughly tests each of their garments for weather durability back at the HQ laboratory in Montreal, Canada. This is also the hub of the newly released ‘RAW POWER’ collection, whereby you can try the pieces on in the specialised cold room/ Weather station which emulate temperatures of the Canadian winter up to -35 degrees Celsius. This is a crucial aspect of purchasing a winter down jacket as each individual has a different comfort zone based on body temperature and of course layering underneath.
In addition, all of the production facilities ensure sufficient workplace standards and are Amfori BSCI Certified. This qualification affirms a safe and responsible workplace environment as well as fair and respectful conditions. This programme also empowers local communities by supporting and improving the social supply chain of locals who provide the raw materials for Mackage. Amfori also improves the resilience of business models to make them less vulnerable to market changes and therefore improving job security for employees.
Craftsmanship
Mackage pieces are designed in a way that prioritises functionality in every aspect of the garment. Their coat layers are made up of breathable, waterproof fabrics to create a shield that effectively protects you from all types of weather including cold temperatures and gale force winds. The multilayer fabric technology repels water, oil and stains whilst still remaining breath-ability via laminated porous membranes which again reflects the aesthetic-functionality balance Mackage strive for.
Waterproof and water-resistant down jackets feature tapered seems inside the jacket to retain body temperature inside the jacket for warmth and remaining air permeable. This is achieved by featuring TinsulateTM 3M synthetic insulation throughout the interior pockets of their jackets as well as polar fleece lining in areas in order to retain heat as efficiently possible.
Mackage recognises the tough competition in the UK outerwear market with regards to Canada Goose, Moose Knuckles & Moncler. However due to their focus on quality and a femininity twist across their collections, as well as their royal approval from the duchess of Sussex, Eran & Elisa are certain the brand is set to make itself known across the global outerwear market in the coming seasons.
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