New York launch for ‘sustainable” Harris Tweed campaign 13/4/14
A major new campaign has been launched to promote Harris Tweed as the “sustainable
fabric to the world.”,
A sales boost is the aim of marketing the heritage, style and durability of the Hebridean
cloth.
At an event in New York, Brian Wilson - chairman of Shawbost-based Harris Tweed Hebrides
- said that the fabric “ticks every box of sustainability.
Mr Wilson said: “Everyone loves Harris Tweed but relatively few people know the story
that makes it so special. We hope this campaign will encourage interest not just
in the product but also the place from which it comes and the process which creates
it.”
Speaking at the new Glasgow Caledonian University campus in New York, Mr Wilson continued
: “I doubt if there is another brand in the world with the fame of Harris Tweed which
rests on the skills of so few people located within a single community.
“The key fact is that Harris Tweed survives and flourishes in the Outer Hebrides
because an Act of Parliament says it cannot be made anywhere else. That raises questions
of global importance about the rights of communities to protect their indigenous
industries.”
Mr Wilson and Harris Tweed creative director, Mark Hogarth, were participating in
a discussion on the qualities of Harris Tweed with Doug Shriver, senior fabric specialist,
and Glen Hoffs, head of men’s design with Brooks Brothers, who have been using the
fabric since 1932, as well as Esquire magazine fashion director, Nick Sullivan.
Cara Smyth, GCU vice-principal for the New York campus, said: “This was the launch
event in a series of high-level dialogues about fashion and sustainability. The obvious
place to start was with Harris Tweed which is a wonderful product with Scottish heritage
and a close affinity to this city.”
Mark Hogarth said: “Fashion and style are no longer exclusively about how things
look. The ethics and sustainability of how they are produced are hugely important
in today’s market.
“For Harris Tweed, the luxury lies in the complexity of the process. We have a unique
story to tell the world and this campaign will ensure that many more consumers understand
what makes Harris Tweed so special”.