HARRIS TWEED HEBRIDES

Harris Tweed Hebrides, which was founded only in late 2007, is generally credited with having revitalized the industry and taken the fabric into the front-line of 21st century fashion and design. The company was named Textile Brand of the Year 2009 at the Vogue.COM Scottish Fashion Awards and given the major accolade for Outstanding Contribution at the 2009 Scottish Style Awards. HTH makes three weights of cloth. The heaviest is mediumweight which is 550gms per square metre. The main weight is featherweight (475gms) which is popular for jackets and other outerwear. The lighest weight is superfine (375gms) which is ideal for ladieswear.

All of our fabric is finished to the highest of standards and each order can be discussed in detail with our highly skilled and knowledgeable staff. The origins of the cloth are far in the past. It was first of all made by the inhabitants of the Outer Hebrides from the wool of their own sheep and made into garments to protect them from the cold and damp. All the processes were done by hand and each member of the household would have his or her part to play. Over the decades, the process has evolved while always remaining true to the basic principles which are enshrined, uniquely, in an Act of Parliament.

Today, Harris Tweed is the only handwoven fabric produced in commercial quantities. The yarn production process uses specially blended yarns produced to secret recipes and then warped up to exclusive designs before being sent to weavers’ homes to be handwoven by means of skills which have been handed down from generation to generation. The cloth is then returned to the mill to be finished to very high standards. At this stage, the final stage in the process is examination by the independent Harris Tweed Authority and once it has been inspected and approved, the famous Orb trade mark is ironed onto the fabric as the ultimate seal of approval. Then and only then, it can be called true Harris Tweed!