Has Harris Tweed put its jackets on a shoogly peg?

Published on Sunday 15 April 2007 01:25

IT HAS gilded the fashion world's most prestigious catwalks and attracted global brand names such as Nike, Vivienne Westwood and Ralph Lauren.

But the new owner of Harris Tweed has confirmed he may stop creating new patterns and withdraw supplies to the world's fashion houses and concentrate on men's jackets instead.

Angry weavers say plans to return to a "stuffy" image under the new English management will send the traditional Scottish industry into ruin.

Yorkshire businessman Brian Haggas bought the Stornoway-based KM Group, which produces about 98% of Harris Tweed, in December. Industry representatives hailed the move as a new era of stability for the group, which had been for sale for four years.

Last week, weavers met Haggas to discuss his plans for the future. But they left far from positive, warning that the entrepreneur's vision will have "disastrous" consequences for the industry and the local economy.

Whereas the group previously sold cloth to major fashion houses across the world, which manufactured it into garments, now almost all cloth will be transported for use in Haggas's factory, they said, effectively breaking Harris Tweed's bond with global fashion.

And after years of rejuvenating the brand with bright colours to appeal to a younger market, weavers said Haggas plans to return exclusively to muted shades - and the old-fashioned image the industry fought to leave behind.

"He told us that his policy after this season for the following year was to go for a reduced number of patterns and colours to be used for the manufacture of jackets by one of his subsidiary companies and sold by that method. He made this absolutely clear," said Ken Bartolomy, a weaver on Harris.

"In the short to medium term this will keep the weavers in work. But what happens if the bottom falls out of the men's jacket market? Or if consumers don't like the limited range of colours?

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Known as Cl Mr in Gaelic, Harris Tweed is a cloth woven by the islanders of Lewis, Harris, Uist and Barra in their homes using pure wool that is dyed and spun in the Outer Hebrides. The world's only commercially produced hand-woven tweed, its definition is enshrined in the Harris Tweed Act of 1993.

Business has declined from a production peak of seven million yards annually in the mid-1960s to less than one million yards today.

To optimise profits, previous owners of the KM Group had closed one of its two mills and transferred production to its textile manufacturing site in Stornoway. Today the company employs around 80 people and commissions about 120 self-employed weavers.

When a weaver struck a deal with Nike to supply Harris Tweed for a new men's trainer in 2004, many believed the industry's hard times were over. Indeed, the cloth is worn by leading fashionistas such as Kate Middleton, who last month turned heads at Cheltenham Festival with a blue fitted tweed jacket.

But Haggas's vision - understood to involve reducing the number of patterns from thousands to around five, and the number of colours from several hundred to around 10 - will merely put the twee back into tweed, say local politicians.

"No one wants Harris Tweed to be worn exclusively by middle-aged gentlemen in dowdy colours," said Alasdair Morrison, Labour MSP for the Western Isles, who plans to meet with Haggas.

"Harris Tweed is recognised globally. In recent years it's been paraded on catwalks and has adorned top models. I can't imagine that being the case when it exists as jackets on hunched men's shoulders.

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Haggas confirmed there will be no new patterns but denied that the company had reached a final decision to produce men's jackets next season.

"We are thinking about producing men's jackets. No decision has been made on this yet," said Haggas, who has a long history in the textile industry and owns Brook Taverner Ltd, a company which manufactures Harris Tweed jackets.

"As we've got 8,000 patterns already, we are not making new ones for the coming season.

"We are going to take the product upmarket. This is a huge task and can't be done overnight. We're looking at many options.

"We're optimistic about the future. We are investing in new equipment in the factory. We are trying to revitalise Harris Tweed."

Fashion experts lamented any plans to remove Harris Tweed from the catwalk.

"It's a real tragedy. This is a huge disappointment to everyone who loves Harris Tweed across the world," said Mary McGowne, founder of the Scottish Style Awards.

"Harris Tweed had just come full circle, leaving its stuffy image and becoming trendy thanks to the Nike deal. This has serious implications for the fashion industry.

"The only answer is to establish a new mill, according to Shawbost councillor Roddy Morrison, who worked in the tweed industry for 37 years. Without the ability to produce modern styles for global fashion houses, the industry - and the community - will suffer, he warned.

"If the big fashion companies can't get hold of cloth, this will be disastrous for the industry and the local economy. Companies like Polo and Paul Smith bought lots of tweed and shipped it across the world. Now we will miss that. We will struggle.

"Concentrating on jackets with a small number of patterns is not going to work. Harris Tweed will lose its image and drop off the world stage."

The fruit of the loom

For centuries, the islanders of Lewis, Harris, Uist and Barra have woven cloth known in Gaelic as Cl Mr.

Until the mid-19th century, Harris Tweed was made entirely by hand and produced mainly for personal use or for sale locally.

It was not until 1846, when Lady Dunmore requested Harris weavers copy the Murray tartan, that the bigger industry was born. Lady Dunmore devoted considerable time promoting it to friends and improving production techniques. At the turn of the century, the small loom was replaced by the 'fly-shuttle' loom, and between 1903 and 1906 business grew rapidly. At this time a system was introduced whereby Harris Tweed was protected by a stamp issued by the newly formed Harris Tweed Association.

Despite attempts by mainland producers to imitate the tweed, production increased to its peak in 1966, with 7.6 million yards. But changing fashion caused sales to dwindle in the 1980s.

The industry began to revitalise itself with a new double-width loom, marketing softer, lighter tweeds. In 1993 the Harris Tweed Authority took over from the Harris Tweed Association by Act of Parliament. The definition of the cloth was enshrined in law as tweed hand-woven by islanders in their homes in the Outer Hebrides, and finished using pure virgin wool spun and dyed on the islands.