By John-Michael O\'Sullivan

Cordings of Piccadilly, Swaine Adeney Brigg of St James, James Purdey of Mayfair.

Not necessarily names that jump off the page as cornerstones of British fashion history.  Yet alongside Gieves & Hawkes, Barbour, Aquascutum & Mackintosh, these brands are the remnants of an alternative tradition to that of London’s edgy, elite sophistication: one catering for a largely rural nation, and for customers who measured the success of a garment on quality, utility and performance.

Two centuries ago, the dawn of the Industrial Revolution started the tidal wave that would lead to the final demise of home-made clothing, as fireside spinning wheels and looms gave way to the harsh realities of Victorian mills, production lines and mass assembly. Visionary drapers like Charles Macintosh embraced the change, applying innovation and cutting edge technology to practical clothing requirements, creating clothing to survive punishing lifestyles and to withstand the rigours of the British weather. Soldiers and explorers, farmhands and sailors alike benefited from the development of an industry which created lightweight, sturdy, durable  garments for hunting, shooting, fishing and farming.

And so the enduring British countryside uniform was born - wellington boots and headscarves, mannish waxed coats and layers of tweed: understated, sensible, and sturdy.

Yet there was romance and flair hidden amongst the utility. The plaids, checks and tartans that lined sensible outerwear blazed with the colours of the countryside: dark mosses and blazing heathers, deep water and rich earth.So much of Burberry’s success in recent years has come from the dishevelled, eccentric beauty that Yorkshire boy Christopher Bailey has rediscovered in the modest, unassuming practicality of country clothing.

Even today, a short detour off Oxford Street takes you from 21st century multicolour overload into an endearingly old-fashioned world: polished mahogany counters stacked with copies of Country Life and Horse & Hound, panelled walls encrusted with faded landcape paintings and stuffed animals. Family businesses like Cordings, whose window display for years consisted of a Wellington boot immersed in a tank of water: or Swaine Adeney Brigg, manufacturers of rainwear since the 18th century: and James Purdey’s Georgian gunmakers, perched in an opulent mansion at the end of Mount Street, defiantly timeless among upstarts like Marc Jacobs and Rick Owens.

But as the countryside continues to change from a self-sustained world of farming communities to a web-savvy, climate-controlled commuter belt, the lifestyle (and fashions) that seemed untouchable are under threat. And the pre-eminently practical clothes are now as likely to be worn by Glastonbury revellers or nouveau-squires like Graham Coxon and Eric Clapton (who rescued Cordings from closure in the 1990s, and now acts as Design Director).

A new tradition for rural fashion may in the end come from unlikely sources - retailers like Daniel Jenkins, whose Monmouthshire-based store embodies the spirit of the modern countryside - practical, witty, and gently eccentric. Or young designers like Christopher Raeburn, whose translucent rainwear blends innovation, ingenuity and practicality in a way that Charles Macintosh would no doubt thoroughly approve!