Latest news with #ScottishHeritage
CTV News
11 hours ago
- Entertainment
- CTV News
World-renowned pipe band coming to Windsor to raise money for charity
The 78th Fraser Highlander Pipe Band will hit the stage this weekend at the Fogolar Furlan Club. The air will be filled with the sounds of Scotland on Saturday night and it's all for a good cause. The world-renowned 78th Fraser Highlanders Pipe Band — former world champions — will take the stage Saturday at the Fogolar Furlan Club. Fraser Highlanders Pipe Band Source: The 78th Fraser Highlanders Pipe Band/Facebook. The event promises an evening of live piping and drumming, celebrating Scottish heritage and musical excellence. The event will be hosted by a familiar face, former CTV anchor Jim Crichton. The doors open at 6 p.m., the show runs from 7p.m. to 9 p.m. Tickets can be purchased online via Eventbrite for $27.96 or at the door for $30. Attendees are encouraged to bring canned goods or monetary donations to support local food banks, including the UHC Hub of Opportunities Windsor. June Muir is the CEO of the organization that provides supportive employment and career resources for area residents, in addition to offering daily food parcels for those in need in our community. Many are finding it difficult to afford groceries at the current inflationary prices. Last year, there were 234,000 visits to the Hub's Food Pantry for food assistance. The numbers are steadily growing, not just for those seeking employment, but also for those who are working, but finding it tough to put food on the table for themselves and their families. For Muir, this is an opportunity to enjoy homegrown Canadian talent and help neighbours, families, seniors, and youth in our city and surrounding areas. 'It's going to be so much fun,' said Muir. 'And to hear some of the music, the pipes that will be playing and then knowing that you're giving back to the community, bring those canned goods. It's $27 and change to come and cash at the door, $30. How can you miss out?'
Al Jazeera
04-06-2025
- Business
- Al Jazeera
‘The epitome of slow fashion': Tweed's youthful makeover in Scotland
'When you see tweed on the runway, you don't expect it to come from here,' joked 38-year-old former banker Alexander MacLeod as he set up his loom in a converted barn on the shores of a Scottish loch. MacLeod became a weaver two years ago, joining residents on the islands of Lewis and Harris, off Scotland's north-west coast, in helping to rejuvenate the tweed industry after a significant period of decline. 'It's a good thing to keep the tradition going.' Tweed is a symbol of Scottish heritage and has 'always been part of the culture' on the Outer Hebrides, added MacLeod, who hails from the island of Scalpay, which is connected to Harris by a bridge. It is now 'an attractive sector to be in', he said. He left the Hebrides for seven years to work in banking, but the pull of his roots proved too strong. During the day, MacLeod now works for a small local cosmetics company. In the evenings, he puts on a podcast and patiently begins to weave. Only the steady hum of his machine disturbs the calm of the old stone barn. Harris Tweed, traditionally made from 100 percent wool, is the only fabric protected by a 1993 Act of Parliament. It must be 'handwoven by the islanders at their homes in the Outer Hebrides, finished in the Outer Hebrides, and made from pure new wool dyed and spun in the Outer Hebrides'. The weaver spoke of his 'satisfaction' once the tweed is finished. The tweed, once associated with the British aristocracy, goes to the spinning mill for a quality control check, where the slightest flaw is flagged up. Finally, it receives the precious 'Harris Tweed' stamp – a globe topped with a cross – certifying the fabric's provenance and authenticity, issued by the Harris Tweed Authority (HTA). The tweed then leaves the island for procurement by discerning companies abroad, including luxury brands such as Christian Dior, Chanel, and Gucci. Several trainer brands, such as Nike, New Balance, and Converse, have also used it for limited edition products. The traditional staples are jackets, caps, and bags, but the fabric can also be used for furniture. There are 140 weavers, according to the HTA, which launched a recruitment campaign in 2023 and offered workshops to learn the trade following a wave of retirements. This know-how, often passed down from generation to generation, is now being nurtured by a different profile of weaver. 'It's nice to see younger people coming in,' said Kelly MacDonald, director of operations at the HTA. 'When I joined the industry 22 years ago, there was a severe period of decline. I was wondering: 'Is there going to be an industry any more?'' But the industry is now enjoying a 'resurgence' and 'significant growth', with more than 580,000 metres of tweed produced in 2024. 'We are always looking at new markets,' she said, and tweed is now exported to South Korea, Japan, Germany, France and other countries. It is no longer dependent on the US market, as it once was, and should be largely shielded from the tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump. Tweed has 'modernised', said Cameron MacArthur, who works at Carloway Mill, one of the three spinning mills in the west of the Isle of Lewis. He is only 29, but has already worked there for 12 years. The mill, with its large machines, looks as if it has not changed for decades. But MacArthur has seen it evolve to embrace a younger workforce and newer fabrics, meaning it is no longer just the ultra-classic Prince of Wales checks or dark colours that are on offer. 'Nowadays, we're allowed to make up our own colours … and we're just doing different things with it, modernising it, making it brighter,' he said, showing off rolls of turquoise blue and fuchsia pink. 'We're so busy … it never used to be like that,' he said, adding that he was 'proud' to be working with the local product. MacDonald said tweed was an antidote to environmentally unfriendly 'fast fashion'. 'How nice to own a product where you can actually look on a map to a tiny island and say, 'That's where my jacket was made.' That's so rare now, and I think people really engaged with that,' he said. 'Every stage of the production has to happen here, but from start to finish, it is a really long process. We are the epitome of slow fashion.'
The Guardian
02-06-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
Making weaves: the resurgence in Harris tweed production
Alexander MacLeod, a Harris tweed weaver, outside an atelier at his home on the island of Scalpay in the Outer Hebrides Photograph: Andy Buchanan/AFP/Getty Images 'When you see tweed on the catwalks, you'd never think it came from here,' says MacLeod, 38, a former banker Photograph: Andy Buchanan/AFP/Getty Images A weaving loom with an under-weaving Harris tweed cloth. Traditionally made from 100% wool, Harris tweed is protected by a 1993 act of parliament. It must be 'handwoven by the islanders at their homes in the Outer Hebrides, finished in the Outer Hebrides, and made from pure virgin wool dyed and spun in the Outer Hebrides' Photograph: Andy Buchanan/AFP/Getty Images MacLeod became a weaver two years ago, contributing, with other residents of the Isles of Lewis and Harris, to the rejuvenation of the tweed industry after a long period of decline. 'It's a good thing to keep the tradition going,' he says Photograph: Andy Buchanan/AFP/Getty Images Weaving tools. Tweed is a symbol of Scottish heritage and has 'always been part of the culture' on the Outer Hebrides, says Macleod, who hails from Scalpay, which is connected to Harris by a bridge Photograph: Andy Buchanan/AFP/Getty Images It's now 'an attractive sector to be in', MacLeod says. He left the Hebrides for seven years to work in banking but the pull of his roots proved too strong. During the day, MacLeod works for a local cosmetics company. In the evenings, he puts on a podcast, usually about espionage, and patiently begins to weave. Only the steady hum of his machine disturbs the calm of the old stone barn Photograph: Andy Buchanan/AFP/Getty Images A member of staff at Carloway Mill processes and prepares wool for the weaving of Harris tweed. Carloway is one of three spinning mills in the west of the Isle of Lewis Photograph: Andy Buchanan/AFP/Getty Images The industry is enjoying a resurgence, with more than 580,000 metres of tweed produced in 2024 Photograph: Andy Buchanan/AFP/Getty Images Luxury brands such as Christian Dior, Chanel and Gucci are among the buyers of Harris tweed, and shoe brands such as Nike, New Balance and Converse have used it for limited-edition products Photograph: Andy Buchanan/AFP/Getty Images A weaving loom in the Carloway Mill workshop Photograph: Andy Buchanan/AFP/Getty Images Photograph: Andy Buchanan/AFP/Getty Images Photograph: Andy Buchanan/AFP/Getty Images Photograph: Andy Buchanan/AFP/Getty Images Photograph: Andy Buchanan/AFP/Getty Images Wool to be used in Harris tweed Photograph: Andy Buchanan/AFP/Getty Images Spools of yarn at the mill Photograph: Andy Buchanan/AFP/Getty Images Dyed wool sorted into colours Photograph: Andy Buchanan/AFP/Getty Images Rolls of the final product Photograph: Andy Buchanan/AFP/Getty Images Kelly MacDonald, the operations manager of the Harris Tweed Authority, behind a weaving loom at her office in Stornoway. 'It's nice to see younger people coming in,' she says. 'When I joined the industry 22 years ago, there was a severe period of decline. I was wondering: is there going to be an industry any more?' Photograph: Andy Buchanan/AFP/Getty Images Minnie Hooper, a weaver, at the Harris Tweed Authority building in Stornoway. There are 140 weavers, according to the HTA, which launched a recruitment campaign in 2023 and offered workshops to learn the trade after a wave of retirements Photograph: Andy Buchanan/AFP/Getty Images Minnie Hooper's weaving loom Photograph: Andy Buchanan/AFP/Getty Images Photograph: Andy Buchanan/AFP/Getty Images Cloth displayed at the Harris Tweed Isle of Harris shop in Tarbert Photograph: Andy Buchanan/AFP/Getty Images Shaun Campbell moves rolls of Harris tweed in the Tarbert shop Photograph: Andy Buchanan/AFP/Getty Images The Harris tweed stamp, a globe topped with a cross, certifies the fabric's provenance and authenticity and is issued by the Harris Tweed Authority Photograph: Andy Buchanan/AFP/Getty Images Harris tweed stoles for sale in Tarbert Photograph: Andy Buchanan/AFP/Getty Images Blackface sheep and lambs, whose wool is used in Harris tweed production, grazing on the Isle of Harris Photograph: Andy Buchanan/AFP/Getty Images
South China Morning Post
31-05-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
What is Harris tweed? How the classic Scottish fabric is seeing a resurgence
'When you see tweed on the runway, you don't expect it to come from here,' joked 38-year-old former banker Alexander MacLeod as he set up his loom in a converted barn on the shores of a Scottish loch. MacLeod became a weaver two years ago, joining residents on the islands of Lewis and Harris, off Scotland's northwest coast, in helping rejuvenate the tweed industry after a significant period of decline. 'It's a good thing to keep the tradition going,' he said. Tweed is a symbol of Scottish heritage and has 'always been part of the culture' on the country's Outer Hebrides island chain, added Macleod, who hails from the island of Scalpay, which is connected to Harris by a bridge. It is now 'an attractive sector to be in', he added. Harris tweed weaver Alexander MacLeod works at his weaving loom in his atelier at his home, on the Isle of Scalpay. Photo: AFP MacLeod works at his weaving loom at his home. Photo: AFP
