Harris-Tweed®

The original Harris Tweed is made only in the Outer Hebrides on the left edge of Scotland, and exclusively by homework.

The 1993 definition is as follows:

"Harris Tweed is a fabric handwoven by the islanders of Lewis, Harris, Uist and Barra in their homes from pure new wool dyed and spun in the Outer Hebrides." (Wikipedia)

The trademark is an authenticity label bearing the Orb (an orb) sewn to each garment.

Tweed has always been woven in Scotland. As hand weaving became uneconomical in the age of the Industrial Revolution, looms replaced the old loom in many places. Only in the Outer Hebrides was this old manufacturing method retained - they have always been known for good quality.

At the end of the 19th century, tweed manufacturing began. Lady Dunmore owned the islands of Harris and Lewis at that time. But since there was not much going on there economically and everything had to be shipped back and forth with a lot of effort, the lady came up with the idea of introducing the tweed from Harris and Lewis to the better society in London. So it came after an increased demand of the Harris Tweed and with it a more economic exploitation of the outer Hebrides.

Since 1910 Harris Tweed has been recognized as a protected trademark and may only be produced on these two islands in home work on old looms - as it was 100 years ago.

A special feature is the weaving width of only 75 cm. Since only the narrow looms could be used in the home. This is still the case today.

Another special feature of Harris tweed is the dyeing. Here, it is not the yarn that is dyed, but the wool fleeces. The 30 or so basic colors are dyed in so-called "mills", then cut up, blended and spun, resulting in the subsequent carded yarns consisting of a mixture of up to nine different colors. These yarns are then woven into fabric panels using specific weaving patterns.

Tweed has always been used to withstand the harsh conditions of the Scottish countryside in everyday life. It is robust, wind and water resistant and durable. Due to its wide variety of colors, tweed has also always been popular with hunters and animal keepers, where additional animal hair is barely noticeable.

We were on the islands of Harris and Lewis and we took a look at the production and made a little film about it. Click here for the report.