Harris tweed

Finished handmade cloth was exported to the Scottish mainland and traded, along with other commodities produced by the Islanders, such as goat and deer skins.

As the Industrial Revolution reached Scotland, mainland manufacturers developed mechanised weaving methods, with weavers in the Outer Hebrides retaining their traditional processes.

When Alexander Murray, 6th Earl of Dunmore, inherited the North Harris Estate from his father in 1836, production of tweed in Outer Hebrides was still entirely manual.

Herbert noticed the marketing potential and high quality of the tweed cloth produced locally by two sisters from the village of Strond.

She organised the weavers, created training and quality control procedures, and promoted Harris tweed as a sustainable and local industry.

She improved the yarn production process to create a more consistent, workable cloth and by the late 1840s, merchants from Edinburgh to London were supplying the privileged classes with hand-woven Harris tweed.

It is involved in instigating litigation, issuing of the Orb Stamp, inspection of mills and weavers sheds, promotion of the industry and safeguarding Harris tweed on behalf of the islanders of the Outer Hebrides.

Although most of the wool is grown principally on the UK mainland, in the early summer the island communities still join to round up and shear the local sheep to add to the mix.

Once shorn the wool is scoured before being delivered in large bales to the mills of the main tweed producers where it is then dyed in a wide variety of colours for blending.

The freshly dyed coloured and white wools are weighed in predetermined proportions and then thoroughly blended by hand to exact recipes to obtain the correct hue.

This vitally important process sees thousands of warp threads gathered in long hanks in very specific order and wound onto large beams ready to be delivered, together with yarn for the weft, to the weavers.

The weaver will 'tie in' their warp by threading each end of yarn through the eyelets of their loom's heddles in a specific order then begins to weave, fixing any mistakes or breakages that occur until completed.

The final process is the examination by the independent Harris Tweed Authority which visits the mills weekly, before application of their Orb Mark trademark which is ironed on to the fabric as a seal of authenticity.

[13] The last three years have seen Harris tweed remain "on-trend" and a regular feature in both High Street stores and on catwalks in couture collections and the increase in popularity has led to the training of a new generation of weavers to meet production demands.

Crew,[20] Nigel Cabourn,[21] Hugo Boss, Paul Smith, Primark and Prince of Scots use the fabric for jackets, outerwear and suiting.

Footwear brands have also used Harris tweed, most notably Nike,[22] Dr Martens,[23] Aigle,[24] Red Wing Shoes,[25] and Clarks.