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At Brora, sustainability and craftmanship is at our heart, which is why, each year, we support the Campaign for Wool and its mission to raise awareness of the fibre's unique, natural and biodegradable benefits. This wonderful organisation is also championed by none other than His Majesty King Charles III. This year we are celebrating Harris Tweed.
For more than a century, Harris Tweed has been recognised as one of the world's most durable and fashionable fabrics; made from British pure wool in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. Earlier in the year Victoria Stapleton, Founder and Creative Director visited the Isle of Harris to see first- hand to the process, craft and heritage that goes in to making our Harris Tweed pieces.
“Having worked with Harris Tweed for many, many years, a visit to the island and mill that weaves all our designs was long overdue. My photographer husband and I took the winding road up through Scotland as spring was arriving. As anticipated, we were as blown away by the landscape and by the multiple processes from sheep’s wool to the final woven fabric, the attention to detail, expertise, genuine love and care that goes into every part of the journey making this unique cloth.”
Victoria Stapleton, Founder and Creative Director
How is Harris Tweed Made?
Unique to the Outer Hebrides, the craftsmen and women at Harris Tweed Hebrides fibre dye, blend, card, spin the yarns that are then woven to make yarn. Then, the warp, weft and weaving instructions are delivered to the homes of those that live in the Isle of Lewis and Harris and weave the yarn into the Harris Tweed cloth.
Why is Harris Tweed so Special?
The Harris Tweed weaver, weaving at their own individual croft shed is a master of their loom and because it is woven by hand on mechanical looms, every metre of Harris Tweed cloth has its own idiosyncrasies, which we think make this wonder fabric even more charming.
Once the cloth is inspected it receives the Harris Tweed Orb, a regal style mark which is a symbol of authenticity and one of the UK's oldest certification trademarks. This is used globally to guarantee that a fabric is genuine, handwoven in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland from pure virgin wool.
British Tailoring
All our Harris Tweed designs are then brought to life in our ateliers in London. They expertly cut and sew every piece with meticulous attention to detail. The result is a true celebration of Brora craftmanship and a considered piece that is 100% British-made and will last a lifetime.
“At Brora we then have a team of London based tailors who hand cut and sew each design individually in small runs. This entire concept from sheep to coat is the sort of thing I’ve always been passionate about, maybe due to being brought up on a sheep farm in the north of England has given me an understanding of the preciousness of these crafts.”
Victoria Stapleton, Founder and Creative Director