Tweed was once a material associated with hunting/shooting/fishing/farming and the posh country set. But not now! The gentry material was splattered all over the catwalks at various fashion week shows around the world, and thus cementing the fact that tweed will be all over the place next autumn and winter.

However like all resurgences, tweed has had a bit of a makeover, this season tweed is experiencing something of a fashion moment, restyled and refined by designers and the high street alike.

Think mini skirts, fitted jackets and oversized boyfriend jackets, handbags and even shoes – Jimmy Choo’s Donegal Tweed Boots are selling like hotcakes and Nike has produced a range of Harris Tweed trainers. Like we said it’s going to be everywhere! For males and females. 

Designer Sara Berman has created a capsule collection of limited edition Harris Tweed coats for autumn/winter. Originally Harris tweed could only be made using  the coarse (read scratchy) local wool and natural Scottish moss, lichin and heather for dye, hence the sludge-y colour palette, today the rules have softened along with the cloth and now you can get bright colours, and even polka dot designs, making it much more modern and wearable.

But it hasn’t all been plain-sailing of late for this hardy woven wool fabric. In the aftermath of the Lockerbie furore, the main manufacturer of Harris tweed has been forced to drop the word ‘Scotland’ from its name for fears of a backlash. Who would have thought this humble fabric could cause such a stir. If anyone tries to tell you that it doesn’t matter what you’re wearing (wherever you are), they’re lying!