Revival of Harris Tweed

The continuing revival of Harris Tweed depends on “constantly looking for new markets and uses”, defending the trade mark and maintaining a price which “reflects the complexity and uniqueness of the process”.

These were the messages from former UK Trade Minister and chairman of Harris Tweed Hebrides, Brian Wilson, when he gave the keynote address to launch the Harris Tweed Festival which runs in Stornoway until mid-August, as part of the 2016 Year of Innovation, Architecture and Design.

He said the industry had to constantly re-learn lessons of the past. These included the importance of sustained marketing, the “folly of price cutting” and the absolute importance of defending the legal definition of Harris Tweed which protects it against being made anywhere else in the world.

The continuing revival of Harris Tweed

5 July 2016

Mr Wilson described the Harris Tweed Act of 1993, which strengthened the legal protection, as “the crown jewels of the Harris Tweed industry and the Western Isles economy.”.

He added: “Without it, we would have nothing. Nobody must ever be foolish enough to go near it in order to change one dot or comma because such legislation would never be passed again. To me, it is still amazing that nobody at that time shouted ‘object’ which would have been enough to wreck the bill.”

All whose livelihood now depends on Harris Tweed, said Mr Wilson, should remember with gratitude the vision of the Harris Tweed Association and its chief executive, Ian Angus Mackenzie – now in the same role at Harris Tweed Hebrides – who moved to strengthen protection “at a time when the industry was in the doldrums and might have been written off as part of history.”

Mr Wilson said: “A decade ago, few would have thought there would be any cause for a festival to celebrate the success of Harris Tweed. The industry was being written off. Production was at historically low levels. Looms had little or no value. Most critically, there had been a 20 year gap in recruitment of weavers and mill-workers.”

He said that when Harris Tweed Hebrides re-opened the Shawbost mill in 2007, 90% cent of production went into men’s jackets. This was now less than half. The big growth areas had been in women’s fashion, accessories and furnishings.

They also had to avoid over-dependence on too few countries buying the product, said Mr Wilson. “Just as we need to look for other uses, so we need to seek other markets.

“We do our best, but it is incredibly difficult for a small company, operating from the edge of Europe, to find a sustainable way into new markets even where it is clear that potential exists. That is one of our biggest challenges over the next few years.”

Production of Harris Tweed has trebled over the past decade with Harris Tweed Hebrides accounting for around 75% of production. The company employs around 90 people at its Shawbost mill and gives work to more than 150 home weavers.