History of Harris Tweed.
What is Harris Tweed, and why is it so special? Well if you have ever felt a piece of Harris Tweed cloth or looked at it closely you will know why... it's lovely stuff!
Let me explain a little about Harris Tweed for those of you who don't know about its history and how it is made.
In the middle of the 19th century, the Isle of Harris was owned by the Earl of Dunmore and his wife, Lady Dunmore.
Harris Tweed was being produced by islanders on looms in their own homes.
Lady Dunmore had the Murray Tartan copied by the Harris Tweed weavers ( Paisley sisters) to kit out her estate staff and saw the potential for selling this wool tweed fabric to her friends and associates in London. She also had a number of tweed jackets made up for visiting sportsmen friends to use whilst out hunting, shooting and fishing on her estate.
Due to the quality and beauty of the fabric Harris Tweed sales grew quickly and the fabric was earning a solid reputation in the British Isles and was being worn by many aristocrats.
Harris Tweed was being worn by royalty ( and still is) so the industry had to grow to a commercial level of production, but must still be handwoven at the home of the weavers on the islands of Lewis, Harris, Uist and Barra in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. Harris Tweed has always been handwoven from pure Scottish wool, dyed and spun in Scotland. Harris Tweed is world famous for its high quality.
Due to the success of Harris Tweed this led to imitation tweed cloths being made and so legal protection was sought for genuine Harris Tweed and its makers.
The Harris Tweed Association was then formed in 1909 and a year later the Orb trade mark started being used to identify the cloth as authentic & genuine Harris Tweed.
An Act of Parliament which was passed in 1993 to protect Harris Tweed, Harris Tweed being the only cloth in the world to have an act of parliament to protect it.
If you have ever owned a Harris Tweed garment, you will know that it is a very well made tweed. It is said that a good tweed jacket will last two lifetimes if looked after.
As Harris Tweed became ever more popular, over 1000 Hattersley domestic looms were introduced in the 1930's to the weavers in their Hebridean homes and were used for the next 50 years or so.
The Harris Tweed industry brought work and much needed money to the island economy when there was little else for the islanders.
In the mid 1990's a double width loom was developed for faster production to keep up with growing demands for Harris Tweed.
Definition of Harris Tweed : Harris Tweed is a tweed which has been hand woven by the islanders at their homes in the Outer Hebrides, finished in the islands of Harris, Lewis, North Uist, Benbecula, South Uist and Barra and their several appurtenances (The Outer Hebrides) and made from pure virgin wool dyed and spun in the Outer Hebrides.
Harris Tweed - Clo Mhor, Gaelic for 'The big cloth'.
The making of Harris Tweed is a real craft by highly skilled wavers, it has a strong history and many man hours go into producing this superb tweed.
Harris Tweed is world famous and you will know that it is not a cheap tweed to buy new, a new Harris Tweed jacket costs around £180-£300 + to buy ... we sell 100's of gently used /vintage men's Harris Tweed jackets, most in near new condition!
As we sell a lot of Harris Tweed garments we are lucky enough to see the variety of weaves, colours and textures of many or the older heritage tweed cloths.
Sadly many of which are no longer produced, the variety of cloths available are now quite limited.
However if you buy a vintage Harris Tweed wool jacket, well the choice is almost endless ... Tweedmans have 100's of genuine modern and vintage men's Harris Tweed wool jackets for sale and lots of Harris Tweed accessories including Harris Tweed bow ties and Harris Tweed cufflinks.
Long live Harris Tweed!