McGregor

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America has always been known as the land of opportunity and never more so in history than at the very beginning of the 20th Century. One of the many thousands of Europeans who crossed the Atlantic in search of horizons new was David Doniger, a hat-maker and entrepreneur from Scotland, who was leaving behind his family clothing business and looking to settle in the USA.

Part of the McGregor clan, Doniger could trace his roots back to the first kings of Scotland and, possessing both a keen eye for business and a rather dapper sense of style, he had made enough money for the voyage by making caps out of the McGregor tartan. Finding himself in New York, it seemed only natural to set up business in the trade he knew best and introduce the city to the style of his homeland and, indeed, the joys of plaid.

Iconic American Youth

Gradually, the combination of Anglo-American sportswear and classic tailoring, with its mix of casual and formal, relaxed and smart, came to typify the sartorial style of New York and as our influence grew, that of the whole of the country. In many ways, it became the epitome of Preppy - arguably the greatest contribution made by the US to the world of fashion. Our collections were bought not only by Wall Street high-flyers but, increasingly, by younger, less conservative Americans and gradually they became part and parcel of the visual culture of the country.

In 1955, our red Anti-Freeze jacket was chosen by the wardrobe mistress working on a new, daring film called Rebel Without A Cause. She put it on the back of an up-and-coming sexy actor called James Dean and film history was made as the jacket became forever linked with an iconic image of American youth.
At the same time as Jimmy Dean was rebelling against his mum and dad over at The Griffith Observatory in LA, our preppy look was being adopted by the much more bookish, but no less style-conscious Ivy League set on the East Coast.