Robert Mackie Hat: Scottish excellence since 1845

There are houses whose history can be read in every stitch. Robert Mackie is one of them. Founded in 1845 in Stewarton, Ayrshire, a town known as the "Bonnet Toun" of Scotland, the house has been passing down its knitwear expertise from generation to generation for nearly two centuries. What Robert Mackie makes are luxury knitted accessories, hats, scarves and gloves crafted with a rigour that time has not diminished. This is not a marketing position, it is simply the result of 180 years of uninterrupted practice in the same town, with the same gestures.

Stewarton is no ordinary town. Its bonnet-making tradition dates back to the end of the 16th century, and the trade was already documented there as early as 1650. At its peak, the town was home to ten bonnet makers, three wool spinners and eight manufacturing agents. Today, Robert Mackie is the last bonnet maker still operating in Stewarton. That is not a footnote, it is the weight of a responsibility the house carries with quiet pride.

The Barra Kids beanie, a lasting classic

The Barra beanie is the house's signature piece, offered here in a children's version. Made from 75% lambswool and 25% angora, it provides that dense yet light warmth that only natural fibres can deliver. The lambswool, sourced from long-standing partner spinners, is recognised for its fineness and softness that surpasses standard wool. The angora brings that characteristic softness that makes contact with the skin immediately pleasant, even for the most sensitive. Together, these two natural fibres form a fabric that breathes, regulates temperature and, unlike synthetic materials, holds its shape over time.

Unisex, the Barra Kids beanie can be worn with one or two turn-ups depending on preference, giving it a versatility that belies its apparent simplicity. Made in Scotland, in keeping with an artisanal tradition unchanged across generations, it is one of those pieces you keep for a long time, pass from one child to the next, and eventually wish you had bought in two colourways.

At Centre Commercial, we offer it in a carefully selected range of colourways, from Meadow to Navy Mix, Candyfloss, Marigold and Sea Mist, so that every child can find their own. View the Barra Kids beanies →

A little more on the history of Mackie

Originally, the house made traditional bonnets for Scottish clans and military regiments, those Balmoral and Glengarry caps still worn today by pipers around the world. Robert Mackie himself began working in the textile industry at the age of eleven, before founding his own house at twenty-two, in 1845, on a street in Stewarton. It is this same patient and precise expertise that the brand now brings to its contemporary collections.

The house today employs 78 people, several of whom have over 35 years of service, with the longest-serving employee counting 46 years at the company. This is no small detail: it speaks to the way things are done at Mackie, to the transmission of craft, to an attachment to a know-how that cannot be improvised. A Woolmark licensee and Sedex member, the brand works exclusively with the highest quality natural yarns, sourced directly from the world's leading spinners, including Z. Hinchliffe & Sons, a Yorkshire spinner with whom Robert Mackie has collaborated for over thirty years.

The Mackie beanie in Spinach!

Spinach, as everyone knows, rarely wins over children at the dinner table. On their heads, though, it is a different story entirely. This deep, confident green, neither too safe nor too loud, is one of those colourways that makes itself at home without asking permission. Woven from 75% lambswool and 25% angora, the Robert Mackie Barra Kids beanie in Spinach delivers that dense, gentle warmth that only natural fibres can offer. Made in Scotland using AZO-free dyes with a low environmental impact, it holds its colour over time without fading or dulling. A piece that wins over even the most reluctant, at the table and outdoors alike.

View all Mackie beanies →

Discover the spinach beanie

Why did we choose Robert Mackie at Centre Commercial?

Born from the vision of VEJA, Centre Commercial naturally shares the same convictions: natural materials, traceable manufacturing, and a relationship with objects built on longevity rather than trend. Robert Mackie embodies all of this with the quiet confidence of a house that has never needed to justify itself. The brand is working toward zero waste and a 50% reduction in its emissions by 2030, commitments that reflect a long-term approach consistent with the house's own history. The water used in the manufacturing process is drawn from local rivers and returned clean to natural springs. Yarn offcuts are recovered and reused. Nothing is left to chance, nothing is wasted.

The Mackie selection is available online at centrecommercial.cc, and in our Centre Commercial Kids store at 22, rue Yves Toudic, Paris 10th arrondissement, where you can feel the materials and choose your colourway at your own pace.