Harris Tweed Attempts to be less Scottish

I rather liked the unlikely story of Harris Tweed attempting to gloss over its Scottish roots.   The boss of a Harris Tweed manufacturer denied the firm was “de-Scottishifying” amid fears of a US backlash over the release of Lockerbie bomber. That makes two reasons why the yanks might be uncomfortable wearing their Scottish roots.

 There was outrage in the US when the Scottish Government allowed Abdelbaset al-Megrahi to return to Libya. Harris Tweed Hebrides’ creative director Mark Hogarth was quoted in newspapers saying the company was no longer promoting itself as Scottish.

But chairman Brian Wilson said Mr Hogarth had been “misrepresented”. The former Labour government minister said the Outer Hebrides-based company was not dropping Scotland from its marketing but was emphasising, as it always had done, its islands’ roots.

Mr Wilson said the firm had worries about the US market’s response to the release of Megrahi However, he said Harris Tweed Hebrides had not expressed its concerns as strongly as other businesses in Scotland.

Mr Hogarth had been quoted as saying that everyone the company had spoken to in the US felt that a serious mistake was made in releasing Megrahi, who is terminally ill. He reportedly said: “We have been getting a lot of feedback and we have had to de-Scottishify the image of the brand. If he had not been released we would not have altered anything.”

Speaking to BBC Scotland, Mr Wilson said: “It is completely wrong to say that Harris Tweed is dropping Scotland. Obviously some words were said back at the Harris Tweed farm. He added: “To talk about de-Scottishifying or dropping Scotland is complete and utter nonsense and is really quite dangerous nonsense.”

Harris Tweed is specially handwoven wool by communities in Scotland’s Western Isles.

It puts you in mind of McGrannies beavering away in front of a peat fire – but the truth is I suspect very different Unless of course they now outsource all that to remote communities in China.

I have to say I didn’t even realize that Harris Tweed was still being bought by anybody other than Prince Charles.