Written by Ivan Yaskey in Trends on the 6th February 2023

Heritage, at least where fabric and tailoring are concerned, implies consistency. It’s a wardrobe stalwart that lasts through seasons and trends, holding up through handcrafted sturdiness and centuries of tradition. On the other hand, the term also symbolizes a lack of change that’s reliably comforting but also predictably bland: What was practical four decades ago looks and feels the same today. To say a heritage material has undergone a reinvention feels somewhat paradoxical. Or, considering the preservation of some British heritage fabrics, it seems a touch disingenuous: You wonder if a print reminiscent of centuries’ worth of craftsmanship covering soon-to-fade polyester represents an intentionally poor imitation.

Or, reinvention simply segues into an introduction to new audiences, as was the case at the recent Pitti Uomo. There, attendees, as well as collections, sported Harris tweed in traditional to more modern silhouettes. Colours varied from predictable and easily recognizable to new, who-would’ve-thought interpretations. At the same time, the winter-held event in Florence highlighted what British heritage fabrics are good for from a practical perspective: Protection from cold, damp weather without the need for synthetics or PFAS. Although rugged coats and suiting made of rough houndstooth- or herringbone-patterned fabric likely won’t go away any time soon, especially among menswear purists, here’s how Harris tweed appears to be evolving this season.

What is Harris Tweed? 

Made in Scotland’s Outer Hebrides, Harris tweed is one of the more common varieties of tweed. Compared to other varieties like Donegal tweed, Harris tweed is known for a denser, rougher hand-feel and a surface covered with small specks of colour, and creates a shield against the archipelago’s harsher coastal climate. Used as currency in the region at one point, Harris tweed is produced, as the name implies, on the Isle of Harris, which shares an island with Lewis, located on the other side of a mountain range. Here, sheep have the freedom to travel around, and by summer, their long wool coats get shorn off. In the present, these raw fibers are combined with wool from mainland Scotland to be dyed in 60 base colours, before it’s blended based on proportions, carded, spun into yarn, and then warped. 

This results in the heavy, multicoloured materials that’s similar in appearance to the brown-grey of the Outer Hebrides’ ocean-surrounded landscape. Following, the warped yarn gets sent to the Isle’s home-weavers. Once the fabric returns to the mill, it will be washed and conditioned to remove any oily reside and undergoes a quality control procedure before receiving a stamp or Orb Mark. Stamping has been added to Harris tweed since 1909. Not all wool in a multicoloured palette gets to bear the Harris tweed moniker, however. Instead, the cloth is regulated by the two pieces of legislation – a 1933 Act of Parliament and the 1993 Harris Tweed Act. The 1993 Harris Tweed Act details the process for producing the material, from the type of wool and hand-weaving it in the Outer Hebrides to finishing to the qualities for earning certification and receiving an Orb Mark. This process prevents counterfeiting and producing inferior-quality materials and helps preserve the region’s centuries-old fabric-weaving techniques.

Styling Harris Tweed in 2023 

You’re likely picturing something like this: A wooly, ultra-textured blazer, perhaps in a mélange of browns and greys, with leather patches sewn on to the elbows. Or, you’re thinking about a vintage jacket, also in a scheme of browns with other flecks thrown in, with flapped pockets and a collar covering your neck against the cold, drizzly outdoors. While these interpretations aren’t wrong, realize that tweed set the tone and fabric foundation during CHANEL’s quintessential years. No, it isn’t menswear, but the textured skirt suits and accompanying matching jackets easily flow between both gendered ways of dressing in the present. As CHANEL revives these 1950s allusions, men’s brands dabble with a similar concept – adapting the rugged, thicker texture to someone with more dapper, if not slightly androgynous-leaning, tastes. Here’s what we’re seeing: 

Suiting 

Pitti Uomo’s street scene presented a by-the-numbers approach that ultimately signaled that Harris Tweed has entered the building yet again. Grays, navy, and browns all seemed to converge in the modern-classic slim silhouette that’s likely to embody the winter suit of the present: Not subtle, as if you’re dressing head-to-toe in heavier flannel. Yet, Pitti also proved that heritage dressing doesn’t have to exist as an updated remnant of the past. Instead, this warmth-retaining, thicker fabric found its way onto those ‘90s-inspired wider-cut, double-breasted silhouettes carving casual suiting an even wider berth that can’t be ignored.

Larger Silhouettes 

Japanese brand Sillage highlights the possibilities of Harris tweed, utilizing the material in a check print over streetwear-inspired wider-cut trousers and a flowing, voluminous cape-like jacket. The combination adds substance and heritage to what’s been considered a trend on the precipice of disappearing for roughly two years, and sheds light on the possibilities of Harris tweed for suiting, encouraging us to imagine beyond Peaky Blinders-esque three-piece combinations. 

Updated Basics 

In terms of building a capsule wardrobe, you’re encouraged to seek out fabrics that will last. In recent years, Harris tweed has felt a bit like a novelty: British heritage yearning for a time of bespoke suiting and thicker wools to ward off the cool dampness of late fall and winter. 2023’s version of Harris tweed imagines this quintessential cloth through a versatile wool-like lens. It beefs up outerwear without the need for bulky insulation and PFAS-containing waterproof treatments, adding body but not excessive weight. Trousers, meanwhile, get updated for the cold, free of flannel lining yet built for warmth with a more flattering, somewhat military-inspired silhouette. Then, in a more natural direction, the substance of Harris tweed bridges the coverage of a shirt-jac with the fit of a standard button-front while veering far away from the Pacific Northwest connotations of flannel.

Reimagined Footwear 

Similar to the questions surrounding making outerwear more sustainable, footwear has explored solutions to remain lighter weight yet warm and moisture repelling. At least from the intersection of practicality and style, Harris tweed presents a solution for trainers, offering a mix of durability without leather and better resistance to the elements. 

New Colourways and Patterns 

Despite an appearance alluding to the Hebrides’ moors, heath, and shores, 2023 collections explore beyond these earthier connotations, starting with some greens and venturing out to yellow, pink, and bluish tints.

What is Harris Tweed, Styling Harris Tweed, New Colourways and Patterns, and Larger Silhouettes are discussed in this article on The Reinvention of Harris Tweed for 2023.