Schöffel Country – wrapped in tradition

In celebration of the launch of Schöffel Country’s three new tweeds this season, they took a look back at the heritage of this iconic material.

Tweed originated in rural Scotland as a practical fabric for outdoor workers. It served the job well due to its wind-resistant, robust and highly insulating properties.

The woven patterns leant themselves well to the countryside and became a highly respected fabric for sporting estates.

Balmoral famously had their own estate tweed designed in 1857 and shortly afterwards, the shooting jacket was refashioned as a lounge jacket and tweed went mainstream. It reached high fashion in the 1920s when Coco Chanel commissioned Scottish tweed for her collections, many of which still remain classics today.

Former Scotland rugby 7s player James Fleming takes up his new position as Managing Director at Lovat Mill in Hawick. James wears the Belgrave Tweed Sports Jacket in Loden Green Herringbone Tweed, £299.95.

Schöffel Country launched their first tweed shooting coat in 2008. Since then, this fabulous material has woven itself into the lifestyle and accessories collections, too, from washbags to tailored sporting jackets. Tweed is as at home in the city paired with a crisp white shirt as it is protecting you from the elements in the countryside. Each tweed collection is a huge decision for Schöffel Country, and an enormous amount of planning goes into it. The team are involved right down to the choosing of the final thread at Lovat Mill in Scotland.

‘We begin our tweed colour process by identifying colours that exist in the countryside, from upland grouse moors to deep cut river valleys,’ says Kate Toothill, head of product development at Schöffel Country.

‘We then work those colours into our chosen rich base with both contrasting and complimentary hues. Our mill will generate us handlooms from which we can engage with our team, enthusiasts and influencers to critique and refine our designs until they are perfect.’

This season, Schöffel have launched three new tweeds into the line, the Iona and Skye for women and the Arran for men.

‘The Iona tweed is a five-line plaid, with shadow detail and the Arran tweed is based on a traditional “Glen check” design,’ says Kate.

‘The Glen part is actually an abbreviation of Glen Urquhart, one of the oldest estate tweeds, originally developed in the 1840s.’ The rich colour palate of the tweeds are inspired by the camels, rusts, greens and browns of the hills of our rugged uplands and the blues from the rocks and rivers that flow down from the highlands.

‘The Skye is a contemporary variant of the traditional “shepherd check” design, woven on a herringbone construction,’ says Kate. ‘The colours reflect the joys of being outdoors in beautiful wild places. The call-out colours are a deep red and powder blue, emulating the leaves turning colour and the blue crisp skies as the days shorten and temperatures fall.’

To gain a better understanding of the art of tweed manufacturing, the Schöffel team visited Lovat Mill this Autumn.

To see some behind the scenes footage of these Scottish mills in action, visit the Schöffel Country website then follow the link from the Heritage drop-down menu.

Men’s Ptarmigan Tweed Classic Coat in new Arran

Shop Schöffel Country tweed in Scotland:

A Hume Country Clothing (Ladieswear)
22 Horsemarket
Kelso
Scottish Borders
TD5 7HD
Tel: +44 (0)1573 224620

A Hume Country Clothing (Menswear)
46 The Square
Kelso
Roxburghshire
TD5 7HL
Tel: +44 (0)1573 224620

All About Countrywear
31 High Street
North Berwick
EH39 4HH
Tel: +44 (0)1620 890436

Bosuns Locker
Port Edgar Marina
Shore Road
South Queensferry
EH30 9SQ
Tel: +44 (0)131 3313875

Braemar Mountain Sports
Invercauld Rd
Braemar
Ballater
AB35 5YP
Tel: +44 (0)1339 741242

Brodie Countryfare
Brodie
By Forres
IV36 2TD
Tel: +44 1309 641555

Lilymere Jacket in new Skye Tweed £399.95

Country Style
The Gleneagles Hotel
Auchterarder
Perthshire
PH3 1NZ
Tel: +44 (0)1764 694344

Gamefish
4 Howe Street
Edinburgh
EH3 6TD
Tel: +44 (0)131 2206465

Gammies Country Clothing
Station Yard
Carseview Road
Forfar
DD8 3BT
Tel: +44 (0)1307 466416

Grahams of Inverness
37-39 Castle Street
Inverness
IV2 3DU
Tel: +44 (0)1463 233178

Greaves Sports
23 Gordon Street
Glasgow
G1 3PW
Tel: +44 (0)141 2213322

House of Bruar
Pitagowan
Blair Atholl
Pitlochry
Perthshire
PH18 5TW
Tel: +44 (0)1796 483236

Ladies Ptarmigan Tweed Coat in the new Iona Tweed, £699.95.

James Crockart & Son
28 Allan Street
Blairgowrie
Perthshire
PH10 6AD
Tel: +44 (0)1250 872056

MacIntyres of Inveraray
Main Street
East Inveraray
PA32 8TS
Tel: +44 (0)1499 302115

Macintyres of Oban
38 George St
Oban
PA34 5NL
Tel: +44 (0)1631 569888

Mortimers
3 High Street
Ayton
Grantown-on-Spey
Morayshire
PH26 3HB
Tel: +44 (0)1479 872684

Norvite Farm & Country
South Blackbog
Oldmeldrum
Aberdeenshire
AB52 0AG
Tel: +44 (0)1651 873988

Stewart Christie
63 Queen St
Edinburgh
EH2 4NA
Tel: +44(0)131 225 6639

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