Weaving a community: securing the intangible cultural heritage created by Harris Tweed.

Steed, Josie; Cross, Karen; Wilson, Beth

Abstract

This chapter discusses collaboration between industry and academia to support the intangible cultural heritage of Scottish tweed. Firstly, a Knowledge Transfer Partnership between Harris Tweed Hebrides and Robert Gordon University that sought to "explore new product developments and new international markets, with the aim of providing year-round and sustainable business demand for the Harris Tweed Hebrides brand and the home weaver industry on the isles of Lewis and Harris." Second, the Augmented Fashion research project explored leveraging immersive technologies to secure global interest and demand by preserving traditional textile cultural practices such as handwoven Harris Tweed, to facilitate a new future for the industry in the minds of contemporary consumers. In a time when authenticity is increasingly sought after, the inherent provenance and human hand behind Harris Tweed's all-wool product, localized place of manufacture and short-run, handwoven production adds value to the product in the eyes of the consumer and preserves employment for the mills, community and heritage of the home weavers located on the islands of the Outer Hebrides in Scotland. The research project considered how the use of digital media could enhance the Harris Tweed brand profile by communicating its unique production in novel ways, facilitating new understanding of handwoven fabric, acting as an antithesis to the globalised fast fashion industry and seeking to encourage more responsible clothing consumption habits.

Citation

STEED, J., CROSS, K. and WILSON, B. [2025]. Weaving a community: securing the intangible cultural heritage created by Harris Tweed. In Kosmidou, E.R. and McMurtry, L.G. (eds.) Intangible cultural heritage and new methodological frameworks: media, performance and the public space. Abingdon: Routledge, chapter 7. (Forthcoming)

• Deposit Date: Jan 29, 2025
• Publisher: Routledge
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Book Title: Intangible cultural heritage and new methodological frameworks: media, performance and the public space
• Chapter Number: 7
• ISBN: 9781032541334
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003415329_8
• Keywords: Cultural heritage; Scottish tweed; Fashion industry; Branding; Marketing; Digital media
• Public URL: https://rgu-repository.worktribe.com/output/2675284
• Contract Date: Jul 24, 2023