Matt Smith, floppy haired new star of the BBC's science fiction series Doctor Who. should help maintain exports of one of the corporation's most lucrative shows, broadcast in 42 countries. He is also boosting interest in Harris Tweed. the venerable woollen cloth hand-made in the Western Isles of Scotland, which was already enjoying a modest revival after decades of decline. Mr Smith sports a bow tie and tweed jacket, making him look like a 1930s Oxbridge intellectual. In fact he is wearing a classic Harris Tweed - a "two-by-two dogtooth" - probably produced in the 1960s. Apparently he had the physicist Albert Einstein in mind when he chose it. One of the three remaining Harris Tweed mills says it is eager to produce a replica if there is enough demand.
There is an irony here. The image promoted by Mr Smith is one the modern industry is trying to move on from. "There is more to Harris Tweed than the old boxy jacket at the back of your dad's wardrobe." said fashion designer Deryck Walker, who has Just produced a menswear collection for Harris Tweed Hebrides. the biggest producer. It is all muted blacks and blues, with short jackets and tight-fitting trousers. The industry's range now includes items from wedding dresses to furnishing fabrics.
Harris Tweed, commercialised since 1846, is protected by an act of parliament that ensures it must be dyed. spun and woven by hand by the islanders of Lewis, Harris. [list and Barra. Production has slumped from almost 7m metres annually 30 years ago to 500,000 metres today, but training of new weavers has just begun because the existing workforce of 120 is ageing. Retro or futuristic. the industry will seize the interest wherever it comes from.
Disclaimer: These citations are created on-the-fly using primitive parsing techniques. You should double-check all citations. Send feedback to whovian@cuttingsarchive.org
