Luxury fashion house Chanel is just one of the top brands that has championed the use of Harris Tweed this year as the firm nears completion of a £1million investment at its operations at Shawbost.
The largest producer of the high-end fabric, Harris Tweed Hebrides (HTH) revealed that sales continued to grow due to strong demand in all its major markets last year. But profits were hit as it as spent money re-roofing the factory and invested in a new “whizzer”, which dries the wool, after it broke down.
The firm said sales grew 5% to £9.57million, but pre-tax profits slipped 24% to £1.13million in 2014, according to accounts filed at Companies House.
The firm reinvested profits back into the company to the tune of £339,000 in 2014 compared to £292,000 the year before.
The accounts said the firm would likely make the same profits this year despite facing “continued pressure on pricing”.
Brian Wilson, former energy minister and chairman of the firm said this was a key strategy of HTH.
He said: “Always the biggest threat to Harris Tweed in the past has been price cutting. Nobody should do that. You have to maintain the value and status of the product.”
The firm employs 90 people and gives work to 150 weavers, who through tradition are all self employed.
Mr Wilson said the company just returned from the rag trade’s major annual trade show in Paris, Premier Vision, which took place in September.
“We got a very good response there which was encouraging. It looks very promising for another year,” he said.
“One of our big customers during the year was Chanel.
“When I was in Paris I walked past the Chanel shop window, it was very nice to see two Harris Tweed skirts in the window. Their whole window display was Harris Tweed.”
Harris Tweed is hand-woven only by the islanders of Lewis, Harris, Uist and Barra in their own homes using pure virgin wool that has been dyed and spun in the Outer Hebrides.
The cloth is certified by the Harris Tweed Authority and bears the famous Orb symbol which means it is genuine Harris Tweed.