Minkymacs

slicker

If you have reached this page looking for the new (August 2009) MinkyMacs made in India and available through Lakeland Elements please click HERE.

Minkymac resources on this site

The Aviators Wife

Pics

Clip

Pics fromThe Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries

Danimac Rainjacket

Grasshoppers

Richard's original letter:

In the 1978 film The Class of Miss MacMichael, Glenda Jackson wears her thick, yellow and blue, hooded rubber anorak of that era to terrific effect.

As you may be aware, these yellow and blue, unisex, hooded rubber anoraks were manufactured in Germany and sold there through chain stores such as typically Kaufhof.

They were a common sight in our cities such as London in the 1970's, usually identifying the wearer immediately as being a German visitor / tourist.

Tragically the material perishes and has not survived, going instead, as you said, "onto the coatrack in the sky" !

Courtesy Regenmode24.

"Dannimac produced a range of these in 1983/4. My wife bought one in a very provincial town through a national department store (Lewis?). It was red cotton and blue rubber but I believe there were other colours. Included in the range was a cotton/PVC version - high gloss".

- Anonymous comment

Is this a pic? - LE

Dear Lorraine

I have a comment to make about the yellow rubber blue-backed anoraks featured here.

In the mid to late 1970's the company I worked for supplied some farm chemicals made by a German company. As part of their promotions at one time they were giving away these heavy rubber anoraks if sufficient quantities of their product were purchased.

I can confirm that these definitely came from Germany.

They had a strong rubber smell.

At the time I was given two for myself.

Also at about that time they were available in all C&A shops. They came in a wide variety of colours of rubber, but always on the navy blue backing cloth. I can certainly remember green, red and navy blue rubber and I expect there were others.

I still have two in storage, but they do not get much use because I have other rubber anoraks or mackintoshes to wear. As well as the two fully rubber interlined school gaberdines made by LE which are still going strong.
Robin

Very glad to hear that Robin, and very good of you to write with this info.

Best

Lorraine

Conceptual Hygiene

Richard I'm thrilled to say has opened the question of what he calls the 'rubber anorak'. I'm sure I know what he means, but I've never heard them called that before!

I always think of the pages headed simply "Friesennerz" as the top site for these cultish little macs - even though, tantalisingly, its owner doesn't really update. The site is hanging in suspended animation, a Grecian urn of cyberspace. Anyway, let me quote from this unchallengeable source:

Friesennerz is the German name for a very special kind of rainwear: a yellow rubber raincoat with a blue backing. You can turn the yellow side inside out so that you show the blue side to the public, while the yellow rubberized side is facing your skin. The name consists of "Friesen" and "nerz" and is a joke. The Friesen are the people at the coast to the northern sea in Germany, "nerz" is the german word for mink. A "Friesennerz" is the best clothing of these people....

Friesennerz

So Richard and the webmistress (master?) of the Friesennerz site are agreed in definition and we can safely say: rubber anorak=Friesennerz.

But I think there are lots of variations on the rubber anorak / Friesennerz basic theme so I think we need a name for the macs that look a lot like the rubber anorak / Friesennerz but which have different colour-ways, and different materials. I will call them minkymacs, in an attempt to translate the spirit of 'Friesennerz'. Grasshoppers are minkymacs, and Friesennerz are minkymacs. A minkymac:

is simply styled
is waterproof
is a shorty mac - thigh length or shorter
has an integral hood
doesn't have a belt
closes with studs or a zip
is aphrodisiac for at least some

Courtesy Juliavinyl

There are different sorts of plastic, and several of them have been used to make minkymacs.

There is vinyl, pure and simple.

There is polyurethane.

There is PVC.

The place to look for these I believe is the gallery offered by Juliavinyl: a fantastic compendium! Thank you so much Julia.

Since Friesennerz launched Flickr etc have showered lovely pics over everyone, and none lovelier than Friesennerz enthusiasts. Any rainwear site worth the name must include more than a gesture to these charming, fun-loving A-listers of the impermeaphile world.

One of the best minkymacs on YouTube: