The British countryside has wonderful values, community spirit and morals. It is governed by respect for all that abides there; whether that be fur, feather, fin or skin. We want to use country fashion to bring more people into fieldsports, to use clothing as a channel from town to country. We believe that there is an overwhelming desire from the general public to understand and access the countryside in a respectful and responsible manner. We want to be part of the effort to conserve our countryside, and help to promote what we see as a just and honourable method of being custodians of our beautiful rural landscape.
Fieldsports are intrinsic to rural Britain – the countryside shapes us and we are so lucky to have it; let’s share it.
THE CLOTH
The mills in the Scottish Borders have always been at the pinnacle of the weaving industry, with Hawick at its hub. In the local newspaper of October 27 1855 a prominent Hawick weaver confirmed the importance of the Scottish Borders’ tweed manufacturing trade when he encouraged fellow weavers and manufacturers to;
“spare no expense on your wools… your dyestuffs… aim at excellency of fabrics… and beauty of design; repel every attempt to compromise.”
Although synthetic fabrics have been well utilised in fieldsports apparel, tweed maintains the crown as the fieldsports fabric of choice. On the banks of the River Teviot in Hawick is Lovat Mill. The mill has been around for centuries and produces world-renowned tweed cloth, mixing modern technology and production techniques with the ancient art of weaving.
We worked with Lovat Mill to produce our launch collection cloth, which is perfect for use in all fieldsports. We have used a range of 500gm and 430gm pure new wool cloth for our jackets, breeks and shooting vests, all with a Teflon® coating to ensure a highly water-resistant and hardwearing finish to the garments. We have selected a finer 370gm lamb’s wool for our double-breasted gilets, which are insulated with an 80gr wading to keep you warm when out and about.
We have worked diligently with the experts at Lovat Mill to blend tradition and technical advances to ensure that we have the best level of quality to suit your fieldsports needs.
Field Sports Clothing
Field sports are now a popular British tradition enjoyed by many members of society, and as with most traditions, there is a certain culture that is observed by the participants. Until recently, the sportsmen strictly adhered to a specific uniform: the tweed suit. There are multiple reasons why tweed is the fabric of choice for many sportsmen. The fabric itself can be woven with multiple colours in order to match a particular set of colours that would suit certain ground and landscapes. Thus, in essence, it can be used as camouflage. It is also very durable, due to its construction and its yarn being spun from wool. The wool gives the cloth a natural ability to withstand the weather and the weaving method enhances this property. The wool also makes the cloth very warm – a great advantage when out in the wild north of Scotland culling deer in winter.
THE INSPIRATION
Tweed cloth has been used for field sports for nearly 200 years; popularised by the uptake of the Victorian gentry, the cloth developed into what we see today. The Victorians saw the benefits of the fabric and utilised it. The industrial revolution meant that large amounts of cloth could be produced, as up until that point all the cloth had to be hand woven. The industrial revolution was vital in enabling mills around Scotland to keep up with the demand for the fabric, indeed creating whole industries and speciality skills which remain vital to this day.
“Field Sports are as essentially necessary for the maintenance of our national character as sleep to our existence”
Lady Dunmore
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