Two men in tweed suits in front of a wooden façade, left in olive check with a flat cap, right with a bow tie — John Crocket

Tweed Lexicon

What is tweed?

Tweed is a woven cloth made from pure new wool, and its origins lie in the British Isles. The name probably comes from the fabric's characteristic structure, which is called twill, or tweel in Scotland. In Germany the same weave is known as Köperbindung or "Zwillich": it is the weave that gives the cloth its diagonal pattern.

Six tweed fabric swatches with pinked edges: herringbone, various checks and a small pattern — John Crocket

Originally the name tweed applied above all to cloths hand-woven from hand-spun yarns. The basis for the small weave patterns was therefore a rather coarse woollen yarn, though plied warp yarn and worsted were used as well.

One point matters a great deal to us: our producers support animal welfare, and for that reason we stock only "mulesing-free wool".

Historic photograph: men in flat caps and jackets on a golf course, one swinging a club — John Crocket

The history of tweed

The origins of tweed most probably lie in the rural regions of Scotland and Ireland. Tweed stood out for its particularly hard-wearing make, and it protected men working outdoors from the cold, rainy British climate. Since the sheep adapt to that harsh climate as well, the virgin wool of Scottish sheep suits tweed particularly well. Their wool is correspondingly thick, robust and waterproof.

Map of Great Britain and Ireland showing the locations of the tweed mills — John Crocket

From working cloth to the cloth of the nobility

Dyeing was always done with natural dyestuffs: orange came from ragwort, wheat and iris supplied the green and lichen the red. Before long, however, tweed was no longer only the cloth of farmers. After the English royal family acquired Balmoral Castle, buying a country estate in Scotland became established across English society. To set themselves apart, large landowners designed their own tweed patterns, the so-called estate tweed, which was worn exclusively by the servants of the estate. This followed the Scottish tradition of dressing according to clan affiliation.

How is tweed made?

The production process begins with the dyeing of the wool. Large batches of wool first go into a closed vat, where they are spin-dried to draw all the moisture out of the fibres. Only then does the wool take its final colour. To achieve the characteristic tweed pattern, the individual dyed batches are shredded and then blended.

Worker feeding colourfully dyed wool fibres into a machine — John Crocket

Worker beside a large heap of pale loose wool — John Crocket

Hands knotting grey yarn threads on a weaving machine — John Crocket

Man at a weaving machine with numerous coloured yarn threads, a warp beam behind him — John Crocket

The individual wool fibres are then drawn in the same direction by machine and passed through a series of rollers so that they can be stretched. The right quantity of fibre is drawn through a further machine to produce a very loosely ordered thread. To give the yarn the strength that weaving requires, it must now be spun into a strong thread. To do this, it is twisted six to eight times, which gives the yarn considerably greater tensile strength.

Wooden weaving shuttle with metal tips against a white background — John Crocket

Discover now

Model in a blue-grey three-piece tweed suit with a pale bow tie and buttonhole flower — John Crocket

Model in a grey herringbone tweed waistcoat with matching trousers, jacket over the shoulder — John Crocket

Model in an olive windowpane tweed jacket, burgundy trousers and a flat cap — John Crocket

Film on the history of tweed

Our tweeds

Lovat Tweed

Lovat Tweed keeps you warm at all times and stays highly resilient even in damp conditions. Its colour variations recall the landscape of Scotland.

Lovat Tweed Mill

Harris Tweed

Harris Tweed is particularly resilient, glows with unique colours and combines well with other fabrics.

Harris Tweed Mill

“Moon, Heritage Collection, Woven in England, Since 1837” label in the lining of a tweed jacket — John Crocket

Moon Tweed

The luxurious handle of Moon Tweed gives it a very special feel-good factor, and it always keeps you warm, even in cool temperatures.

Moon Tweed Mill

Woven “Magee 1866, Classic Fit” label with an animal motif in the lining of a jacket — John Crocket

Magee Tweed

Magee Tweed stands out for its particularly long life and for heavy cloths from County Donegal in Ireland, a county steeped in tradition.

Magee Tweed Mill

“Woven in Ireland by John Hanly & Co. Ltd., Pure New Wool” label in the lining of a tweed jacket — John Crocket

John Hanly Tweed

John Hanly works exclusively with natural fibres.

John Hanly Tweed Mill

Woven label from an English mill on grey herringbone tweed — John Crocket

Marling & Evans Tweed

Marling & Evans rightly emphasises the striking, unmistakable character of its tweed cloths. Spinning, weaving and finishing all take place in Huddersfield, England.

Marling & Evans Mill