Government urged to step in as tweed weavers face long lay-off

THE Scottish Government has been urged to intervene to help save the future of the Harris Tweed industry amid fears that more than 100 weavers might be made redundant due to a lack of work.

Reports yesterday said Brian Haggas, the Yorkshire businessman who bought a controlling interest in the industry two years ago, had ended production for this year, putting the future of over 100 weavers in doubt.

The Kenneth Mackenzie mill in Stornoway, the biggest in the industry, said work would still be "trickling" out to weavers until September or October and denied any pending crisis.

But weavers and politicians say the strategy adopted by Mr Haggas, who is concentrating efforts solely on men's jackets, has led to concern. He is understood to be on holiday and could not be contacted for comment.

It is understood a massive stockpile of the cloth in China means that weavers, who work the loom at their own homes across Lewis and Harris, are expected to be out of work until next year.

Mr Haggas has created widespread concern by ditching mass production to concentrate on just one style for his in-house brand of men's jackets.

The range of garments – named Barva, Laxdale, Tarnasay and Dalmore – are marketed under a newly-established company called Harris Tweed Scotland. But the mill recently exported its last shipment of tweed – enough to make 70,000 jackets – to China to be tailored into jackets.

A six-strong Yorkshire-based telesales team is busy trying to solicit interest for the new range, but the outcome will not be fully known until September when the winter market opens. Even then, there is thought to be plenty of tweed in store in the Far East to supply the orders.

Calum Maclean, a weaver, said: "There may not be any production for the next seven months or even later. The saddest thing is that Haggas took over the biggest mill, but now it is just small-scale." He added: "Many people rely on the tweeds. I just don't know which way to turn."

Angus Campbell, the vice-convener of Western Isles Council, said last night: "I've been contacted by individual weavers very worried about their future, even if there is stuff going out over the summer.

"There was always a danger with this approach that when they reached a certain level production would be virtually stopped, particularly when he has knocked back other work."

Mr Campbell said there was an opportunity for independent mills to market other products during autumn shows, a busy time for the industry to attract new orders.

"I've written to Jim Mather, (the enterprise minister], suggesting there is an opportunity for some investment in promotional work and retraining so that they are in the best position possible at the end of the summer to take advantage of any work that comes their way," he said. "It's a one-off opportunity for the government to invest money in Harris Tweed now to make these two mills viable.

"If we keep slipping down off the radar, it's going to disappear altogether. We need these companies to be winning orders and we need Harris Tweed to be promoted again at the top of the range."

More than 30 self-employed weavers, who send their tweeds to the mills for finishing, were made redundant at the Mackenzie mill last month. Mr Campbell fears others may drift away from the industry and find work elsewhere.

Archie Macdonald, the area manager for the Highlands and Islands Enterprise team in Stornoway, said the industry has significant potential and is vital to the islands' economy.

John Alderson, manager of the Kenneth Mackenzie mill in Stornoway, said: "At this present time, we are still sending out tweed to the weavers and that will continue to trickle out until September to October at least.

"There are areas where we have to stop at present, but that is because the drains need to be fixed."

The home-spun fabric that conquered the globe

FOR centuries the islanders of Lewis, Harris, Uist and Barra have woven the cloth the world knows as Harris Tweed. The inhabitants of the west of Scotland, including the Outer Hebrides, had traditionally made cloth entirely by hand.

As the Industrial Revolution reached Scotland, the mainland turned to mechanisation but the Outer Islands retained their traditional processes. Lewis and Harris had long been known for the excellence of their weaving, but until the middle of the 19th century, the cloth was produced mainly for home use or for a purely local market.

But in 1846, Lady Dunmore, widow of the late Earl of Dunmore, had the Murray tartan copied by Harris weavers in tweed. This proved so successful Lady Dunmore devoted much effort to marketing the tweed to her friends and then improving the process of production.

As a result of her marketing efforts, increased sales of the tweed were gradually achieved and trade was established with cloth merchants across the UK.

Harris Tweed must be made from 100 per cent pure virgin wool, dyed, spun and finished in the Outer Hebrides and hand woven by the islanders at their own homes "in the islands of Lewis, Harris, Uist, Barra and their several purtenances."

It is now fashioned into suits, jackets and coats for men and women in both town and country styles to dresses, blousons, hats, luggage, furnishings and even slippers.