The Making of The Rannoch

The Rannoch didn't arrive finished. It took eight stages, a lot of small decisions, and a fair bit of walking about in bad weather to find out what worked.

This is the whole build, start to end, written as it happened.

Part 1 — Every product starts with a problem

The question that started it: what would the ideal British coastal parka look like, built from scratch? A clean silhouette, purposeful pockets, technical fabric only where it earns its place.

Read Part 1

Part 2 — Finding the silhouette

Getting the proportions right. Length, hood, pocket position and sleeve shape, revised over and over against one question: if I removed one more thing, would this be better or worse?

Read Part 2

Part 3 — The details that define a jacket

Every component taken on its own. Waterproof zips, pullers, rubber patches, pocket construction, cuff adjustment, hood drawcords. Not adding features — choosing the right ones.

Read Part 3

Part 4 — Choosing the materials

Nearly as long spent on fabric as on the design. Every sample judged on durability, weight, texture and how it ages. Ripstop where the wear is, and the right material in the right place rather than the most expensive one.

Read Part 4

Part 5 — Refining the details

The point where it looked finished and wasn't. Pocket placement moved, pullers changed, the patches went quieter and the branding pulled further back.

Read Part 5

Part 6 — Built to be used

Prototypes taken to harbours, coastlines and long walks in weather that finds weak design fast. How the hood moves, whether the cuffs seal, what the fabric does after hours of wind and rain — none of it shows up on a spec sheet.

Read Part 6

Part 7 — Less, but better

The hardest part was knowing when to stop. Anything that didn't make the jacket better was removed or made smaller. Hundreds of small decisions rather than one big one.

Read Part 7

Part 8 — The Greybank identity

By the end it had stopped being a prototype. Restrained branding, purpose-built construction, dependable materials, and a shape meant to age rather than date.

Read Part 8


See the finished jacket in the First Winter Drop