Tweed material is a source of pride for Scots. It is placed next to national clothes and elements without which it is impossible to imagine Scotland. However, not everyone knows what tweed is.
Tweed - what kind of fabric is it?
Tweed is a soft, dense and warm material. It is made from natural sheep wool. Sometimes synthetic fibers are woven into it, which give density to the material.
A little history of origin
The world owes the appearance of tweed fabric to Scotland. On the slopes of this country, many merino sheep grazed. According to one version, weavers sheared their wool and washed it in the Tweed River, which flows between England and Scotland. It is from this river that the material got its name. According to another story, the name arose thanks to a London merchant who misunderstood the word tweel, which means twill weave. He read it as tweed.
Tweed fabric was initially used only for making men's jackets, but since the 20th century it has also been used to make women's clothing.
Chanel did not ignore this material either, making a stylish suit out of it, consisting of a sweater and a skirt. In 1954, Chanel released a tweed suit - a skirt and a jacket without a collar. This innovation was picked up by other designers, and the model was named after its creator.
Composition and properties
The peculiarity of tweed fabric is that it is made by hand:
- First, the sheep are sheared.
- The wool is cleaned.
- The dyeing stage begins. Weavers dye the material according to old recipes. Regardless of what type of tweed is used, if you look closely, you can see inclusions of dye. Often, green is visible on a brown background, and blue or red on a beige background.
- The weaving of tweed wool fabric is done by hand.
Today, cotton and synthetic fibers may be added to tweed.
Additional information! The dyes used for tweed fabric also have different origins. Natural components can be used, which have strict tones: black, gray, dark green. Chemical dyes are also used, which give a bright color to tweed.
Features of tweed care
To keep things looking attractive for a long time, you need to follow special recommendations:
- Hand washing with powder intended for woolen items is suitable.
- It is necessary to observe the temperature regime. High temperature will cause the clothes to shrink.
- To prevent the item from becoming deformed, lay it out on a horizontal surface after washing.
- Iron items through wet gauze from the inside out.
- If we are talking about a jacket or coat, then it is better to dry clean them.
Manufacturers and brands
Tweed fabric is produced today by many factories. Among them, the most famous ones, which have become famous all over the world, can be distinguished:
- Andrew Elliott. The factory was opened in Scotland in 1965. For his fabrics, Andrew used the wool of merino sheep that live on the Australian slopes. Now his son Robin runs the production. The fabrics of this factory were used to sew the costumes of the heroes of the Harry Potter and Doctor Who films.
- Carloway - This factory was opened on the Isle of Lewis, which is part of Scotland. Weavers use the wool of Cheviot and Blackface sheep to produce the fabric. They are bred in Britain. A small team of 30 people is involved in the creation of the material.
- Harris Tweed is another mill on the Isle of Lewis. It is much larger and produces fabric on a large scale. This mill produces about 65% of all tweed. Harris Tweed, like Carloway, uses yarn from British sheep to produce its fabric.
- Kenneth McKenzie - used to be the largest factory. In 2006, it was on the verge of bankruptcy and was bought out by Brian Huggies, who took drastic measures. He limited the number of patterns, reducing them from 8,500 to 4 pieces. Huggies ordered to sew several tens of thousands of men's jackets from tweed material, but they were not in great demand. Therefore, the factory even stopped its work for some time, but then got back on its feet. Now its production occupies 25% of the world market.
- Lintom Tweed was opened in Scotland in 1912. Its founder William Lintom wanted to make his factory famous and make the whole world know what kind of fabric tweed is. He succeeded. The factory is famous for its cooperation with Coco Chanel, who ordered fabrics for the production of her models and wore clothes made from their material herself. Today, many famous designers collaborate with this factory. The Burberry brand also uses it for sewing clothes.
Advantages and disadvantages of tweed
Tweed, like many fabrics, has its advantages. The main ones include:
- the strength of the fabric, thanks to which the clothes have good wear resistance;
- wrinkle resistance, achieved by using twill weaving;
- diversity of species;
- poor moisture absorption, due to which it maintains natural heat for a long time;
- ability to retain color. Things do not fade even in the sun.
This canvas is not without its drawbacks:
- high-quality fabric is expensive, therefore it is not available for a family with a small budget;
- since tweed fabric contains natural wool, moths are not averse to feeding on it;
- Classic tweed models make the owner look older, so you need to pay close attention to the cut.
Customer Reviews
Natalia, 52: "Recently, I didn't even know what tweed fabric was. I learned about it from a colleague. I work as a teacher, so I always have to look elegant. In winter, it's chilly to wear just a blouse at work, but a tweed suit is just what you need. It matches business style well and is very warm."
Artem, 38: “I’m an ordinary lazy bachelor who doesn’t like to iron his clothes. My apartment is small and my closet for clothes is also small. In the summer, I hide my autumn and winter clothes away, so I often take out wrinkled jackets and start the unloved process of ironing. One day, I liked a business suit. I studied the description on the tag and found out that it was made of tweed fabric. When I took the suit out in the fall, I discovered that ironing was not necessary, since it was not wrinkled. I decided to stock up on a few more models made of this fabric.”
Tweed is a unique material. The manual weaving principle speaks of how much work and love is put into each meter of this fabric. Many factories work on creating fabric with which famous designers create unique business images. Jackets, sweaters, skirts, outerwear made of tweed fabric will not only add elegance, but also warm you in winter.
