Well – missed it! Yesterday was Tweed Day in America (but it might not be linked to our fantastic fabric.) However, think we should adopt a Tweed Day anyway – we need to celebrate what we are actually good at. Perhaps it could coincide with the London (or other) Tweed Run? What do you think? If you like the idea please spread the word.
Fantastic support for our fabulous Harris Tweed industry. Loving this revival – long may it last.
My running commentary on London has gotten a little sidetracked…
Let’s just say, we are temporarily moving north; Scotland to be precise…to the Isle of Lewis.
You are probably asking yourself, “why the heck is she taking us there”?
Many years ago, when I was working for Christian Lacroix, one of his early Haute Couture and subsequent Ready to Wear collections featured Harris tweeds.
His inspiration stemmed from a sports jacket (similar to the one below) he owned, which was made up from a patchwork of tweed fabrics.
It was this interpretation which found its way into some of his most creative Ready to Wear collections in the early 90’s.
Today, tweed is finding itself back in fashion. If truth be told, it never quite went out of fashion, it just became less fashionable.
The definition of Harris Tweed, is a tweed cloth which has been hand woven by…
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Long made the Tweed revival last!
Abraham Moon and Sons Limited share 175 years’ of weaving heritage.
Reblogged from TweedVixen
Me too – how did I miss these? and can I still buy them? – will have to check it out.
British Royal Mail has presented a collection of stamps which showcases the illustrated history of British fashion. These stamps were unveiled in the year that Britain celebrates its Olympics and Jubilee year.
From the iconic Vivienne Westwood – harlequin dress that Supermodel, Naomi Campbell wore, to Zandra Rhodes gold ballgown, and a Hardy Amies suit from the forties, these stamps brought forth the best in British fashion !
These stamps are available at www.royalmail.com/stamps
At the start of this phase of WOVEMBER (Working with Wool) we mentioned Knockando Woolmill as a fantastic example of what can be achieved when one works both with wool and about wool. Working with Wool can of course be a purely practical decision based on its special material properties, but as we learnt from Kate Davies in her recent Q&A with WOVEMBER, WOOL is also intrinsically bound up with the social, political and cultural histories of the UK. If you work with wool anywhere in Britain it is possible to deliberately highlight the connection between what you’re doing and that long, rich heritage. Knockando Woolmill is a fine example of a place that is both producing woollen cloth, and maintaining its connections with the past.
Then… Duncan Stewart at work in the weaving shed (courtesy of Graham Stewart)
Then… Hugh Jones weaving on the Dobcross loom
Now… story and…
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My own celebration of Tweed! A true Harris Tweed jacket – which tells the story of this fantastic traditional industry and its unique link to the landscape and lifestyle – given a new life with a contemporary twist.
Visit the other pages on my Blog for more exciting Tweedie items.
I was recently asked by the fabulous Audacious Huxley for my definition of tweed. I thought that the answer would be easy and obvious, until I actually thought about it. Just parroting the usual Oxford dictionary description; “a rough surfaced woolen cloth, typically of mixed fleck colours, originally produced in Scotland.” or giving the standard origin story regarding tweed being a misreading of the word twill, whilst all true it seemed an empty answer.
I believe that tweed is a fabric steeped in British Heritage and so for me must be made in the United Kingdom or Ireland. I know that many great Mills around the world make a tweed fabric to different levels of quality, some rather good but to me they are not tweed. When buying a tweed garment surely part of the appeal is the heritage and the story it tells.
Tweed must be at least 80% wool or it is not tweed!…
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Interesting day in London yesterday searching for the mad chappies taking part in this year’s London Tweed Run.
Eventually caught up with them at TeaTime at the Imperial War Museum.
And a outing (and sneak preview) of one of my upcycled Harris Tweed Jackets (SSh don’t tell anyone)
Joanne Shewan Textiles 