THE TWEED

THE TWEED An Clo

“Harris Tweed is a unique woollen textile that has been hand-woven by the islanders off the west coast of Scotland for generations. Worn worldwide, it is cherished both for the clothing made from it and as a fascinating traditional craft.”  “Harris Tweed from land to street” by Lara Platman.

Harris Tweed is the only fabric that is protected by an act of parliament, The Harris Tweed Act 1993. Any cloth that is officially Harris Tweed is woven in a weaver’s shed on the island, and only cloth  that is made this way can be given the Harris Tweed trademark “Orb” stamp, which the Harris Tweed Authority gives to every piece of cloth.

LOCH ROAG DESIGNS use tweed from Harris Tweed Hebrides, made locally at the Shawbost Mill which is thirty one miles from my workshop in Valtos. There are around 170 weavers at present, a neighbour of mine being one. We also use an independent weaver, Margaret Rowan of Adabrock Weaving Company situated in Ness at the northern tip of the island.

Margaret designs her own tweeds [single width] and we use two of them, Ripple and Mussel. Her yarn is made in the Harris Tweed Hebrides Shawbost mill. We are happy to say that we use local products and local people.

LOCH ROAG DESIGNS is not a mass producing company. We take pride in the cloth we use and care in the making of our clothes. And care takes time.

The colours used in the tweed textiles are inspired by our landscape and seascape, the turquoise and purples in the freshwater lochs, the shell sand that has a hint of pink, the rock, the eagles, seals, the huge sky, the soft rain and wild Atlantic storms, 24 hour daylight in summer and the clear, crisp skies in winter full of the stars of the Milky Way.

My own colour inspiration comes from my upbringing in Malta, India, Pakistan, Singapore and Iran.I grew up watching Bollywood movies, shopping in middle eastern markets, admiring Indian tailors, working as a professional dancer, actress, teacher, theatre director, drama examiner .. they all gave me a sense of theatre and style.