Scottish cashmere and knitwear

Luxurious Scottish cashmere and knitwear

Scotland has an incredibly rich textiles history and the country is especially renowned for its quality knitwear and cashmere production. What better time than during the Year of Creative Scotland to discover some beautiful Scottish fashion?

Scotland began producing cashmere over 200 years ago in 1797 at a shop called Johnstons in the town of Elgin, located in the Scottish Highlands. It is now the only mill in the UK to carry out the whole process from raw fibre to finished garment. Scotland is one of the world’s leading cashmere manufacturers and the Scottish Borders are particularly renowned for their creation of the luxury material - many of The Scottish Cashmere Club’s members are based in the region.

The Scottish Cashmere Club was established to guarantee that an extremely high quality of cashmere production was maintained across Scotland. Only members of the Scottish Cashmere Club are allowed to display the trademark on their products which signifies luxurious goods that are always made to the club’s strict standards.
 
Scotland specialises in premium knitwear with many well-known woollen garment producers established here, such as Pringle and the Edinburgh Woollen Mill.
 
Scotland is also home to the attractive traditional knitting style known as Fair Isle. Named after a tiny island in the Shetland Islands located off the north of Scotland, Fair Isle is distinguished by the use of the five traditional colours - red, brown, blue, yellow and white – in a highly distinctive pattern. The tradition thrives on the islands, and many of the producers of genuine Fair Isle products are represented by the Shetland Arts and Crafts Association. Authentic products are labelled with the Fair Isle trademark to distinguish the traditional production methods, using hand-frame machines and hand-knitting, and the high quality of the finished garments.