Tonight, we are delighted to release our new made-to-order Distillery Harris Tweed® jackets designed by Judy R Clark, the award-winning Scottish designer famed for her exquisite hand tailoring in tweeds, lace and antique fabrics.
The cloth we entrusted to her talents is our distillery tweed pattern created by young Scott Murray from here in Tarbert and woven by Stephen Passmore from the distillery team at his loom in the village of Rodel.
For the first releases in our range, Judy has also been working with Alison MacDonald of Tiger Textiles in the Isle of Lewis. We tasked her with embroidering threads of rose gold onto the jackets' sumptuous teal velvets.
Working in close collaboration, we have brought two fabulous new jackets into the world with our unique cloth, The Distillery Harris Tweed Blazer for men and The Distillery Harris Tweed Hacking Jacket.
Both the women's and men's styles boast many beautiful details, including copper buttons, contrasting stitching and an embroidered collar bearing our hidden distillery motto. The jackets also have velvet collars and cuffs and a satin lining in Isle of Harris Gin blue.
Judy tells us…
"Creating a design that that represents all the beautiful elements of the Harris Gin story, such as land and sea, distillery influences, and the unique Isle of Harris Gin bottle, has been a fantastic project to work on. Each aspect of designing the new jacket has been so enjoyable, and the team have been brilliant to work with."
Heading up the second stage of our ongoing Harris Tweed Project, storyteller Iona Cairns has been working hard to bring these jackets into being. It's a job that has encompassed textiles, graphic design, photography, and packaging.
Iona tells us…
"It has been a pleasure to work on this project alongside Judy and my colleagues at the distillery. The journey has been fascinating, working closely with Harris Tweed Hebrides and the Harris Tweed Authority we have watched our own Stephen weave the tweed and Judy carefully incorporate elements of the island and distillery into her design. These jackets represent our distillery and we are incredibly proud to share them with you."
The jackets are now available to order online for the first time in various sizes and can be purchased in the distillery shop here in Tarbert.
Each garment is specially made to order, and as such, each one takes 10-12 weeks to produce. But, we believe the wait will be worth it as you take delivery of a piece of Harris Distillery history which will last a lifetime.
Iona and the team have also gone to great lengths to create the bespoke packaging, including our branded tissue paper, information booklet, and a copper wire hanger. Then, of course, there's a handwritten gift message available too.
To learn more, please visit the dedicated website page or go directly to the online shop to order.
In addition, you'll find a handy measuring guide to ensure the best fit and lots of other helpful information.
Join us again soon as we add to the Distillery Harris Tweed® range, but meantime, here's to the craft and creativity of Harris!