Tweed lives up on the island of Isle of Scalpay in the United Kingdom. ° When you see tweed on fashion shows, you can’t imagine that he will come from here! “, Alexander Macleod, a former banker, jokes his loom in an old barn on the shottish hole, he has been a pet. Rejuvenation of the tweed industry that had previously experienced a long time of decline.
It is “a good thing to continue tradition”. Tweed, a symbol of the Scottish heritage, “has always been part of the culture here” on the outer levy, emphasizes the 38-year-old, who comes from the island of Scalpay, which is connected to Harris by a bridge. It is now “an attractive industry,” he says. He worked in banking for seven years, but the call of his roots was too strong and he returned to his island.
During the day Alexander works for a small local cosmetics company. In the evening he hears a podcast, preferably about spy cases, and begins to forcefully weave. Only the regular sound of his machine disturbs the complete calm in which the old stone barn is located.
The “Harris tweed”, traditionally made from 100 percent pure new wool, is the only fabric protected by a British Parliament Act of 1993. It stipulates that he “has to be woven by hand from the islanders: in their houses in their houses on the outer levy (…) from pure new wool, which was colored and spun on the outer levy”.
“Revival”
The weaver speaks of his “satisfaction” when the tweed is ready. The fabric that was once associated with British aristocracy then goes to the spinning mill, which controls its quality and is looking for the smallest mistakes. And finally he can get the valuable “Harris tweed” stamp: a globe with a cross that certifies the origin and authenticity of this substance and exhibited by Harris tweed Authority (HTA).
Then the tweed leaves the island and is regularly bought by luxury brands such as Christian Dior, Chanel and Gucci. Several sneaker brands such as Nike, New Balance and Converse have used it for limited editions. Of course there are jackets, hats and bags. The fabric is also used for furniture.
There are a total of 140 weavers: according to the HTA, which in 2023 started a recruitment campaign in response to the many retirement and offered workshops to learn the craft. This know-how, which was often passed on from generation to generation, then opened up for other profiles.
“It is nice to see that younger people are coming,” says Kelly Macdonald, the HAT operations manager. “When I came to the industry about twenty years ago, I really wondered if she would survive,” she recalls. The decline was “serious”, then there was gradually “a revival”.
“We are now constantly looking for new markets,” she explains. The tweed becomes after Korea, Japan, Germany, France and other countries. exported. It is no longer dependent on the US market, as it used to be the case, and should therefore only suffer from the tariffs introduced by Donald Trump.
More than 580,000 meters of tweed were produced in 2024, according to the HTA, which indicates that the sector has had “strong growth” for several years.
Slow fashion
The tweed “modernized”, says Cameron Macarthur, who works in one of the three spinning mills, the Carloway Mill in the west of the island of Lewis.
He is 29 years old, but has been working there for twelve years. The factory with its large machines does not seem to have changed for decades, but it has witnessed the development: the rejuvenation of the workforce, but also of the fabric.
“We make new patterns and our own colors,” he explains. There is no longer just the ultra-classic Glencheck pattern or brown and dark colors. Cameron proudly shows roles in turquoise blue and Fuchsia-Rosa.
“We are very busy. We receive orders from anywhere,” he says. The young man is “proud” to work with this local product. Kelly Macdonald also notes that Tweed meets the expectations of a more sustainable fashion, in contrast to the “Fast Fashion”.
“It’s nice to look at a card and think: ‘My jacket comes from this little island. (…) People are now interested in such things,” she emphasizes. The manufacturing process is “very long”: “We are the epitome of Slow Fashion,” says Kelly Macdonald with a smile.
This article was used with digital tools translated.
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