The Harris Tweed industry has never been able to shake the image that Tweed is just used for ‘itchy, old man jackets”. Deperate to revive the tweed industry the cloth makers are trying to revamp this old fashioned image of tweed and attract younger people. But could Harris tweed ever make it into Top Shop?
The industry is currently dominated by older people. To create a buzz among young consumers and designers there needs to an injection of find blood to work in within the Tweed industry.
Saying this there has been a recent surge of interest in Tweed – thanks to Doctor Who. Matt Smith, the 11th doctor, wears a traditional Hebridean hand-woven jacket in the new series.