Tweeds

Tweed is another traditional, woollen, woven fabric which is created by either a plain or twill weave to give a check or herringbone pattern.
 
With useful properties such as being water resistant, durable and insulating, the tweed was firstly commonly used as sportswear in the UK for outdoor activities such as shooting and hunting.

One of the most famous as well as popular tweeds around the world is the Harris tweed. It is the only fabric that has its own legislation and has been hand woven off the west coast of Scotland for generations."Harris Tweed means a tweed that has been hand-woven by the islanders at their homes in the Outer Hebrides, finished in the Outer Hebrides, and made from pure new wool dyed and spun in the Outer Hebrides." Only tweed made this way can be given the "Orb" stamp trademark to clarify it is genuine Harris Tweed.

Originally, the wool of black faced sheep living on the moors was spun to make the yarns for the Harris Tweed, as they were a widespread breed and their coats were thick, strong and coarse due to their resilience against the harsh weather. For generations, the weaver would live on a croft and look after their own sheep. Nowadays, different Scottish breeds are used to suit the modern demand for a lighter, softer fabric.

Once the sheep is sheared, the wool needs to be sorted, scoured and washed, then finally dried in preparation for dyeing.

The coloured wools are mixed to different dye recipes then carded, the carding process turns them into lenghts of wool and yarn. Once the lengths are then spun into yarns and put onto bobbins, they are sent to the weavers.

After the tweeds are woven they are stamped every two metres or so with the "Orb" logo. During the 1970's, advertisements for men's suits in Harris Tweed created such a trend that everyone wanted the cloth with the trademark. Vivienne Westwood even alluded to the logo to promote her own garments.