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Dashing Tweeds New Scarf Collection

Scarfs I find are one of the most elusive items of clothing, like bottle openers and sprites they seem to vanish as soon as you look for them. However, there is no need to worry as we are have designed and woven fabulous new scarfs for the season and you can find them easily at Dashing Tweeds.

As well as providing easy warmth a scarf can transform any outfit. Whether you take inspiration from Mad Max or Toulouse Lautrec, a scarf can provide a ruggedness or elegance with a simple swish round the neck.

This season we are offering two qualities of scarfs in an exquisite variety of colours. The first design fits the ‘Road Warrior’ image, a beautifully lightweight blend of Merino lambswool and Cashmere in a gauzy texture which at over six foot long and 2 foot wide you can swathe around your neck with splendid swarthiness.

This design is woven with a graduating warp ranging from black to natural undyed ecru wool, weaving with the coloured horizontal weft threads creates a sophisticated ombré effect, the depth of colour lightening across the width. The current colours available are black, blue, red and green, and the pink has already sold out.

Our classic scarves this year are pure Lambswool of a traditional quality woven in Scotland and featuring hand tassled ends. Huge scale checks are broken up across the two metre length with a varsity theatricality that feels equally at home on the Twickenham sidelines or Cambridge Footlights. We’ve woven these in bold yellows, blues and red to brighten up any lacklustre winter day.

Both our scarf offerings make ideal presents and as sizing is not an issue you can enjoy the process of selecting colours that will complement the aura of your inamorata. Do stop by our flagship shop at 47 Dorset Street, Marylebone to see the full collection in person. Alternatively, our online storeis also up and running and we can post them to any location worldwide.

MILL OF THE MONTH – Drove Weaving

The world of weaving is full of colourful characters and one of the brightest is Robbie Trussler, our main man for production. Robbie set up his own company, Drove Weaving almost as a hobby and it has thrived ever since; such is Robbie’s skill and passion that Drove is celebrating it’s 40th anniversary this year.

A romantic and incisive figure Robbie initially moved to the Scottish Borders at the tender age of 17 in a passionate pursuit of Sheila, his wife to be. Needing work he enrolled in a six week training course at Reid and Taylor, the largest mill in the area and found the world of weaving very much to his liking. A few other jobs intervened but Robbie was drawn back to weaving being offered a promotion every time.

Whilst at Reid and Taylor, Robbie worked on weaving wool, worsteds and tartan cloths, here he learnt all the skills needed for setting up looms and ways of achieving numerous structures and patterns. One memorable design in the early seventies was a special Luna Tartan initiated by the visit of astronaut Neil Armstrong, the design commemorated the Armstrong family which originated from Langholm.

Internal wranglings within Reid and Taylor gave Robbie an excuse to leave and with the financial help of David from Edinburgh Woollen Millshe made the brave move to set up Drove just along the road in Langholm. At the time the area was still world famous for the quality of it’s woven wools. There were at least six mills employing around 1,500 people all skilled in the numerous arts of turning fleeces into fabrics. Nowadays, it’s a different story and finding skilled labour or young people who wish to learn about the craft is very difficult. Despite this Drove continues to flourish, employing 15 people who produce around 12,000 metres of fabric a month.

*Kirsty, our Co-Founder and Fabric Design Director with Robbie at the mill*

Without Robbie I can safely say there would be no Dashing Tweeds. He was (and still is) incredibly supportive, helping us create our futuristic designs and with little grumbling was happy to experiment with the technical difficulties of weaving the high tech yarns we sourced along with wools of all types. Robbie’s years of skill are invaluable, he remembers the golden days when there was so much more variety in the fabrics produced in the area and with his help and your support of our designs we all hope that woven wools will once again reign in fashion.

To keep up to date with some of the latest work at Dashing by Drove Weaving, keep posted on our brand new website and follow us on Instagram here.

P.S. In line with Wool Week, there is a brilliant exhibition of film, photography and artefacts to check out that explores how Britain’s textile industry is being reinvented for the 21st century. ‘Weaving the Future’ will be showing at Salts Mill and will run until the 20th October 2019. Our designs by Drove Weaving will be showcased there, so if you manage to stop by don’t forget to take a picture & tag us!

Charlotte Chaplin: Health and Woolness

Wearing wool for health is not something we hear enough of these days. In the 1880’s the German physician Dr Gustav Jäger extolled the benefits of wearing wool next to the skin, rather than plant based yarns such as cotton or linen. His philosophy caught on to such an extent that the British business man Lew Tomalin established the eponymous brand. The resulting woollen underwear and swim suits he made proved such a success that a Royal Warrant was granted.

Fashion is a circular affair, at the moment with uncertainty in the air comfort can be had by glancing back and wondering what we can learn from the past to make life better both for our health and for that of the whole planet.

The rise of synthetics and the demise of woollen clothing, is a case in hand. Crude oil based clothing such as nylons, polyesters and acrylics were thought to be the answer to everything. They were cheap, easy to produce and seemed almost too good to be true yet now we are just beginning to realise their true cost on a global scale with micro plastics entering the food chain every time you wash a so called fleece. Sustainability is what is needed and there is nothing more sustainable than Herdwick Wool from The Lake District.

Charlotte Chaplin has around 500 of the indigenous sheep on her farm in Finsthwaite, Ulverston. The Herdwick breed has been around for hundreds of years and live in complete harmony with the natural habitat of the Lake District. With short stocky legs and an enviable fleece they roam easily over the steep hills grazing naturally on the local flora, taking just what they need without denuding the pastures. Interestingly they are born black and as they age they pass through chocolate tones on their way to almost pure white.

Charlotte starts to shear her ‘girls’ as she calls them at around 18 months just when the wool is turning white and the length is perfect for spinning. A local farmer Stephen helps with the shearing and then the fleeces are sent off to Haworths for scouring. Charlotte is keen to keep the wool as natural as possible so there is no dying and the pure wool is just cleaned before spinning at Laxtons. From there the yarns are sent to Townend weavers where Charlotte’s elegant and timeless herringbone designs are woven into cloth. The last stage is finishing and Charlotte uses our preferred company Schofields, they soften the hardy wool and make it eminently wearable.

In our Marylebone flagship shop we are stocking three of Charlotte’s designs all in the natural colours of the Herdwick wool. Touching the cloth evokes feelings of the healthy wild landscapes of the Lake District and just by wearing it I’m sure this will rub off on you. The cloth makes up into beautiful jackets and for the brave we can certainly follow Dr Jäger and tailor a health imbuing swimming outfit.

If you have any questions or would like to book a Made to Measure appointment using Charlotte’s designs, kindly drop an email here or visit us in store at 47 Dorset Street, Marylebone.