Harris Tweed looming large

Elizabeth Walton pays a visit to the outer Hebrides to see the home off Harris Tweed, an icon that rigidly sticks with traditional values

Harris Tweed is a powerful symbol of the remote Outer Hebrides where it is woven. An explosion of colour in every design reflects the landscape's luminous beauty, and the million metres of cloth woven by hand each year is as adaptable as the island inhabitants.

The tweed story began in 1868 when Lady Dunmore, wife of the owner of South Harris, recognised the potential of the local cloth. Her farsighted efforts led to Harris tweed becoming widely sought after, and in the 1900s, the industry moved to Stornoway where production was mechanised. In 2002, the Stornoway mill under the aegis of the KM Harris Tweed Group is responsible for 90% of production. One important aspect of the tweed-making process remains, however, resolutely unchanged. To sustain the cloth's authenticity, the Harris Tweed Act insists on three strictures. It must be woven in the Hebrides, in the home of the weaver – and without the aid of any power.

Pure new wool is dyed, carded and spun in the mills, and then the warp and weft of a designated pattern are despatched to weavers scattered across the bare, bleak islands. The weavers' craft would be instantly recognisable to the Macleod sisters, Marian and Christina, whose skill first caught Lady Dunmore's attention all those years ago in the village of Strond. However, the modern weaver's tweed is shipped far and wide, perhaps to Tokyo, Montevideo or Madrid. For generations Harris tweed has been part of the sporting wardrobe; with the development of a softe...

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• By : Elizabeth Walton
• In : Products
• Issue : 3
• Page : 60
• Words : 942