Wear an Act of Parliament

We’ve all heard the term “Harris Tweed” thrown about each Fall as long as we can remember.  But the term, as I recently learned, is actually not a general term for a type of fabric like “flannel” or “tartan”, but rather a very specific moniker with such a specific meaning that its use is actually protected by an official act of British Parliament, the only known action of its type regarding a textile.

The term “Harris Tweed” carries with it an historic story some 200 years in the making & can trace its roots to individual households in only 4 islands off the coast of Scotland, the Outer Hebrides to be exact.  The fabric was first made famous by Queen Victoria & her close friend Lady Dunmore.  Sales of Harris Tweed boomed in the late 1800's and early 1900's & quickly became a status symbol around the world.  The specifics of the 1992 British Act of Parliament state that in order to be allowed to call itself Harris Tweed, the fabric must made of 100% pure virgin wool, dyed, spun & finished in the Outer Hebrides.  Then, the yarns must be woven by hand by one of only 115 remaining weavers in their own homes on one of the following 4 islands:  Lewis, Harris, Uist or Barra.  Only then can the fabric earn the use of the name “Harris Tweed”.  The Harris Tweed Authority inspects every 50 meters of the fabric &, if all the criteria are met, they stamp it with the authentic “ORB” logo, thus declaring this piece of fabric “genuine”.

This fabric is now being offered by the Harris Tweed Scotland Co. here in the USA tailored into a sports jacket collection for men.  Under the direction of their new Chairman, Brian Haggas, the company has put its stock behind a traditional men’s sports jacket style – a two button, two side vents, two straight pocket design – that they feel is the epitome of sophistication & elegance.  Haggas comments, “We wanted [to] design [a] sports jacket that would appeal to the traditional gentleman – living anywhere in the world – but also to the younger man who appreciates good style & high quality… a jacket that is well made, with timeless appeal, will never be out of style.”

Marketed as a traditional luxury item, each jacket is shipped in its own custom made Harris Tweed box on a top quality solid mahogany shaped hanger each of which is thoughtfully tagged with an engraved brass tag proudly displaying the “Harris Tweed” script Logo.  The label inside the jacket bears the trademark Orb & is stamped with a number which allows the fabric to be traced back to the specific house on the Outer Hebrides where the weaving took place.  The jacket is available in only 4 classic patterns, the Dalmore (a Wedgewood blue based tweed), the Barva (a moss green based tweed), the Taransay (an olive & brown herringbone with a rust & blue window pane over pattern) & the Laxdale (a black & white herringbone).   Each jacket is sized in a full range of sizes from 38 to 56 in Regulars, Longs & Shorts (in most sizes) & retails at $500.00.

All in all, to own one of these jackets is an act of tradition that isn’t possible anywhere else in the world.  It’s a true esoteric experience that gets to the very heart of a term that is so overused in modern tongue that it is almost meaningless, tarnished if you will – “Luxury”.  Harris Tweed is adding some polish to the word, one jacket at a time.

www.HarrisTweedScotland.com

-Scott French