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The Guardian

Making weaves: the resurgence in Harris tweed production

Alexander MacLeod, a Harris tweed weaver, outside an atelier at his home on the island of Scalpay in the Outer Hebrides Photograph: Andy Buchanan/AFP/Getty Images 'When you see tweed on the catwalks, you'd never think it came from here,' says MacLeod, 38, a former banker Photograph: Andy Buchanan/AFP/Getty Images A weaving loom with an under-weaving Harris tweed cloth. Traditionally made from 100% wool, Harris tweed is protected by a 1993 act of parliament. It must be 'handwoven by the islanders at their homes in the Outer Hebrides, finished in the Outer Hebrides, and made from pure virgin wool dyed and spun in the Outer Hebrides' Photograph: Andy Buchanan/AFP/Getty Images MacLeod became a weaver two years ago, contributing, with other residents of the Isles of Lewis and Harris, to the rejuvenation of the tweed industry after a long period of decline. 'It's a good thing to keep the tradition going,' he says Photograph: Andy Buchanan/AFP/Getty Images Weaving tools. Tweed is a symbol of Scottish heritage and has 'always been part of the culture' on the Outer Hebrides, says Macleod, who hails from Scalpay, which is connected to Harris by a bridge Photograph: Andy Buchanan/AFP/Getty Images It's now 'an attractive sector to be in', MacLeod says. He left the Hebrides for seven years to work in banking but the pull of his roots proved too strong. During the day, MacLeod works for a local cosmetics company. In the evenings, he puts on a podcast, usually about espionage, and patiently begins to weave. Only the steady hum of his machine disturbs the calm of the old stone barn Photograph: Andy Buchanan/AFP/Getty Images A member of staff at Carloway Mill processes and prepares wool for the weaving of Harris tweed. Carloway is one of three spinning mills in the west of the Isle of Lewis Photograph: Andy Buchanan/AFP/Getty Images The industry is enjoying a resurgence, with more than 580,000 metres of tweed produced in 2024 Photograph: Andy Buchanan/AFP/Getty Images Luxury brands such as Christian Dior, Chanel and Gucci are among the buyers of Harris tweed, and shoe brands such as Nike, New Balance and Converse have used it for limited-edition products Photograph: Andy Buchanan/AFP/Getty Images A weaving loom in the Carloway Mill workshop Photograph: Andy Buchanan/AFP/Getty Images Photograph: Andy Buchanan/AFP/Getty Images Photograph: Andy Buchanan/AFP/Getty Images Photograph: Andy Buchanan/AFP/Getty Images Photograph: Andy Buchanan/AFP/Getty Images Wool to be used in Harris tweed Photograph: Andy Buchanan/AFP/Getty Images Spools of yarn at the mill Photograph: Andy Buchanan/AFP/Getty Images Dyed wool sorted into colours Photograph: Andy Buchanan/AFP/Getty Images Rolls of the final product Photograph: Andy Buchanan/AFP/Getty Images Kelly MacDonald, the operations manager of the Harris Tweed Authority, behind a weaving loom at her office in Stornoway. 'It's nice to see younger people coming in,' she says. 'When I joined the industry 22 years ago, there was a severe period of decline. I was wondering: is there going to be an industry any more?' Photograph: Andy Buchanan/AFP/Getty Images Minnie Hooper, a weaver, at the Harris Tweed Authority building in Stornoway. There are 140 weavers, according to the HTA, which launched a recruitment campaign in 2023 and offered workshops to learn the trade after a wave of retirements Photograph: Andy Buchanan/AFP/Getty Images Minnie Hooper's weaving loom Photograph: Andy Buchanan/AFP/Getty Images Photograph: Andy Buchanan/AFP/Getty Images Cloth displayed at the Harris Tweed Isle of Harris shop in Tarbert Photograph: Andy Buchanan/AFP/Getty Images Shaun Campbell moves rolls of Harris tweed in the Tarbert shop Photograph: Andy Buchanan/AFP/Getty Images The Harris tweed stamp, a globe topped with a cross, certifies the fabric's provenance and authenticity and is issued by the Harris Tweed Authority Photograph: Andy Buchanan/AFP/Getty Images Harris tweed stoles for sale in Tarbert Photograph: Andy Buchanan/AFP/Getty Images Blackface sheep and lambs, whose wool is used in Harris tweed production, grazing on the Isle of Harris Photograph: Andy Buchanan/AFP/Getty Images