Tweed is the fabric of the British countryside. Rough to the touch, warm, hard-wearing and full of colour drawn from the hills, it has dressed shepherds, gamekeepers, farmers, aristocrats and, more recently, fashion designers for nearly two centuries. It is equally at home on a shooting jacket, a flat cap, a cushion or a dog lead. This guide tells the story of tweed, explains the main types and weaves, and shows you how to look after it so it lasts a lifetime.
What is tweed?
Tweed is a rough, woollen cloth, traditionally woven in a twill or a variation of twill, and made from wool that has often been dyed before it is spun. Because different-coloured fibres are blended before spinning, tweed yarns are often flecked with several shades. Woven together, they produce the subtle, heathery colours tweed is famous for: browns, greens, greys, rusts and purples that look like moorland and hillside.
Wool gives tweed its warmth. The tight weave makes it resistant to wind, light rain, thorns and brambles. And because the colour is woven right through the cloth, tweed hides mud and marks remarkably well.
How tweed got its name
Woollen cloth has been woven in Scotland for centuries, often at home on hand looms. In the Scottish Borders, a twilled woollen cloth was known locally as "tweel", the Scots word for twill.
The popular story goes that in the 1830s, a London merchant received a letter about a delivery of "tweel" and misread it as "tweed", assuming the cloth was named after the River Tweed, which flows through the Borders textile towns. Whether or not every detail is true, the new name stuck, and it was a good one for selling cloth.
The Victorian boom
Tweed's great rise came in the Victorian era. Queen Victoria and Prince Albert fell in love with the Scottish Highlands and bought the Balmoral estate in 1852. Fashionable society followed, and with it came a craze for Highland sport: deer stalking, grouse shooting and salmon fishing. Tweed was the natural cloth for it.
Estate tweeds
Highland estates began commissioning their own distinctive tweeds for their gamekeepers, stalkers and ghillies. These estate tweeds acted as a kind of uniform, showing which estate a person worked on, and their colours were chosen to blend into the local landscape, helping the wearer move unseen on the hill. Many estate tweeds are still woven today, and some are worn only by the estate's staff and family.
The Prince of Wales check
One famous check, now called the Prince of Wales check, is closely associated with the Glenurquhart estate and later with Edward VII and his grandson, Edward VIII, both of whom wore it when Prince of Wales. It moved from the hills to the city and is still a classic suiting cloth.
Harris Tweed
The most famous tweed of all comes from the Outer Hebrides, the chain of islands off the west coast of Scotland. Islanders had long woven cloth at home for their own use, and in the nineteenth century, with encouragement from the landowning family of the islands, it found a wider market.
Harris Tweed is unusual in being protected by its own Act of Parliament. Under the Harris Tweed Act 1993, genuine Harris Tweed must be handwoven by islanders at their homes in the Outer Hebrides, from pure virgin wool that has been dyed and spun in the Outer Hebrides, and finished there. Authentic cloth carries the Orb mark, a trademark that has been used for more than a century.
Other tweeds
- Donegal tweed, from the north-west of Ireland, is known for its colourful flecks, or "neps", scattered through the cloth.
- Welsh tweeds have their own long tradition of mill weaving.
- Borders tweeds from the mills of the Scottish Borders range from heavy country cloth to fine suiting.
The main tweed weaves
- Plain twill: fine diagonal lines. The basic tweed weave.
- Herringbone: a broken twill that reverses direction at regular intervals to form a zigzag, like the bones of a fish. Smart and versatile.
- Barleycorn: a small, textured weave that looks a little like grains of barley.
- Houndstooth: a broken check with jagged, four-pointed shapes.
- Check and overcheck: a check pattern, sometimes with a second, finer check of a contrasting colour laid over it.
Tweed in the wardrobe
The classic tweed shooting jacket, with large pockets, a vent at the back and room in the shoulders, remains the heart of the country wardrobe. Edwardian sportsmen wore tweed Norfolk jackets with breeches or plus fours and long woollen socks. Today, tweed is worn as jackets, waistcoats, caps, coats and skirts, and it moves easily between a muddy field and a country pub.
Because good tweed lasts for decades, a jacket is often handed down or bought second-hand, and many people believe it only looks right once it has been worn in.
Tweed beyond the wardrobe
Tweed's toughness and its ability to hide hair and mud make it ideal for the home and for dogs.
- Cushions in tweed add warmth and texture to a sofa or window seat. See our pewter and black tweed cushions.
- Dog leads and collars in tweed with leather are handsome and hard-wearing. Our Lincoln lead pairs light brown herringbone with nubuck leather, and is designed in Great Britain.
- Dog coats, such as our quilted dog coat in khaki tweed, bring the look to the dog.
- Dog beds in herringbone hide hair well. See the Balmoral herringbone pillow bed.
How to care for tweed
Tweed is tough, and it needs surprisingly little care. Most damage comes from over-cleaning rather than neglect.
Brush it
A stiff clothes brush is tweed's best friend. Brush downwards, in the direction of the weave, to remove dust, hair and dried mud. Brush a jacket after every few wears and before putting it away.
Let mud dry first
Wet mud smears into the cloth. Hang a muddy jacket somewhere cool and airy, let the mud dry completely, then brush it off.
Air it
Hang tweed outside on a dry day or near an open window to freshen it. Wool naturally lets go of smells with a little air.
Dry it naturally
If tweed gets wet, hang it on a wide, shaped hanger at room temperature. Never dry it on a radiator or in front of a fire, which can shrink and distort the cloth.
Steam out creases
Hang a creased jacket in a steamy bathroom, or use a garment steamer, held a few centimetres from the cloth.
Clean rarely
Dry clean tweed clothing only when it really needs it, perhaps once a season at most, as frequent cleaning strips the natural oils from the wool. For tweed accessories, follow the care label.
Store it well
- Hang jackets on wide, shaped wooden hangers to support the shoulders.
- Leave room between garments so air can circulate.
- Use cedar blocks or lavender to deter moths, and check stored tweed regularly.
- Store clean. Moths are attracted to wool that carries traces of food or sweat.
Frequently asked questions
Is tweed waterproof?
Not fully, but its tight woollen weave sheds light rain and showers well and stays warm when damp.
Why is tweed scratchy?
Traditional tweeds are woven from robust, hard-wearing wools. A lining or a shirt underneath makes them comfortable.
How can I tell if it's genuine Harris Tweed?
Look for the Orb mark label.
How long does tweed last?
Decades, with care. Many tweed jackets are handed down through generations.
For more on the stories behind country classics, read the history of argyle, and for dressing for the weather, see what to wear for a country walk in autumn.