Harris Tweed – A British Classic!
Harris Tweed is one of the softest, most durable fabrics in the world. It is also sinuous with the word plaid. These patterned fabrics that are used to make every single type of blanket, covering or piece of clothing come in many signature patterns and some of them have been in existence for centuries. The fabric gets its unique look from the fact that it is spun from numerous strands of wool that have been each died separately.
In terms of design there are fabrics known as Plain Twills and traditional Herringbones. The plaid fabrics are more complex and sometimes associated with British houses and families.
Contrary to popular myth Harris Tweed is not rough and scratchy. It is a soft, breathable and warm fabric that lasts for many years. It is a favourite fabric of royalty and also of Britain’s many huntsmen and equestrians.
The fabric is woven by the inhabitants who live in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. Old wooden looms are still used to make this beautiful and intricate cloth. This luxury cloth was sold for centuries at small local markets in the Hebrides but in 1846 Lady Dunmore devoted her time and effort to letting the rest of the United Kingdom know about this beautiful and functional wool cloth.
Harris Tweed soon became very fashionable and by 1903 and 1906 demand for the fabric peaked. Many imitators opened spinning mills to imitate the popular fabric.
This is also an ecologically correct fabric because it is made by indigenous people from the Outer Hebrides and dyed and spun in a small island mill. The production of the wool has a very low impact on the environment and it is biodegradable, non-allergenic and is made without wasting a lot of energy during manufacture.
In 1906 a meeting was held in Stornoway to introduce an authentication system. Fabrics and garments must have a certifying stamp on them that assures buyers that their purchase was genuine. The Harris Twee stamp is an orb that is topped by a Maltese Cross. By 1966 7.6 million yards of Harris Tweed were being made a year.
In 1993 an Act of Parliament made it mandatory that anything called Harris Tweed had to be from the Islands and not from surrounding factories in Scotland. This has prevented the fabric from becoming too perverted by mass manufacturing methods.
This tweed is made in Lewis which is a rugged and beautiful island north of the most northernmost part of England. It is moor and meadows and boasts a farming industry.