Community, Transparency & Provenance
In celebration of Wool Month, which is held annually, tweed garment specialists Walker Slater’s flagship Covent Garden boutique brought their key messages of Community, Transparency & Provenance to life through the launch of a film and special VR experience that transported consumers direct to the farm, experience wool sourcing, croft weaving and finishing processes, and then seeing first-hand each individual piece being quality assurance checked and approved by the Harris Tweed Authority.
Walker Slater offered media and customers the chance to preview an exclusive farm to fabric virtual reality experience, amidst the stylish array of tweeds and woollens on display throughout the store.
Community – a close interdependence exists between people, place and product on The Outer Hebrides, less than 160 are permitted to call themselves a Harris Tweed weaver.
Transparency – the wool has been sourced from over one thousand British farms.
Provenance – making a sustainable cloth in harmony with the environment for over 200 years. A fabric that will last for a lifetime – an industry that will have true longevity.
The initiative is supported by The Campaign for Wool whose Patron was The Former Prince of Wales and run from 13th – 16th October, through the virtual reality experience, tweed lovers were able to walk through the Outer Hebrides and see first-hand, where the wool from Walker Slater’s Harris Tweed Hebrides collection has been sourced from and processed. The footage will also showcase the unique way the traditional cloth is woven through the centuries-old craft of the islands tight-knit communities.
The special virtual reality experience coincides with the unveiling of a short film entitled “Community, Transparency & Provenance”, launched to highlight the unique story behind Harris Tweed. Customers can also view an exclusive collection of Harris Tweed Hebrides’ fabrics through the exquisite designs of the Walker Slater collection.
Speaking about the experience, Paul Walker from Walker Slater, commented: “We’re incredibly excited to be shining the light on our Harris Tweed collection in our Covent Garden store this week, to showcase our beautiful range of curated fabrics and to share the story of their development with our customers. As with much of our inspiration we focus on these fabrics due to their reflection of the colours and textures seen in the Scottish landscape.”
Mark Hogarth, creative director at Harris Tweed Hebrides, added: “We hope the new film and VR experience will bring to life the natural beauty of the Outer Hebrides, as well as the craftsmanship that goes into every piece of cloth we make. Community is at the heart of our industry, and we’re proud to be sharing our unique story of the people, place and processes involved in Harris Tweed.”
Sir Nicholas Coleridge, Chairman at the Campaign for Wool, concluded: “Wool Month is a great time to celebrate the amazingly natural and renewable resource that is wool, and we are delighted to be supporting this exciting project. We hope to inspire more people to consider the environment and choose wool when purchasing clothing.” Wool is 100% natural and renewable as sheep in the UK grow between 1 and 3 kgs of raw wool annually that must be sheared for the health of the animal. It is also 100% biodegradable and therefore does not contribute to landfill, or micro-pollution in the ocean.”
