Getting carried away with Harris Tweed

The essence of the Isle of Harris in the Outer Hebrides is the inspiration behind a new range of bags launching this autumn across the UK. The limited edition collection of luxury Harris Tweed bags from the Healthy Back Bag Company will come in 3 styles individually named to reflect the striking mix of landscape: the sea blues for “Reef”, the grassy dunes for “Machair Green” and the black and grey rocks for “Kilda.”

The traditional teardrop-shaped bags make the ideal travel companion contouring naturally to the body and allowing stress-free rummaging with cleverly thought-out pockets for mobile, pens, keys, guide books and cosmetics.

The Outer Hebrides is a 150 mile-long island chain lying between the Highlands of Scotland on the north-west tip of Europe and the North Atlantic Ocean. Unique in character and heritage, traditional music, arts and crafts live on in the islands, which are abundant with beautiful and inspiring natural habitats.

The vibrant fabrics used in the Harris Tweed range contain as many as 30 colours in the yarn and are the inspiration of local weaver, Donald John Mackay, one of the last remaining hand weavers on the islands. Donald first started weaving with his father at the age of twelve and works from his croft house on the remote island of Harris.

North Harris is the most rugged and mountainous part of the Outer Hebrides, offering excellent hill walking and climbing, as well as outstanding scenery and picturesque villages. On the west coast of Harris in spring and early summer, carpets of wild flowers (called machair in Gaelic and one of the rarest habitat types in Europe) fringe deserted beaches and the luminous colours of the sea, ranging from aquamarine to an incredible red, where the peat-coloured rivers cross the pure white sands.

Genuine Harris Tweed carries a certification mark assuring the product has been dyed, spun, hand-woven and finished in the Outer Hebrides. For nearly two centuries the islanders of Lewis, Harris, Uist and Barra have woven the magical cloth the world knows as Harris Tweed, Clo Mhor in the original Gaelic - 'The big cloth'. Combined with full grain leather trim and detailing - each Harris Tweed bag will include both the Harris Orb label, certifying that the fabric is dyed and hand-woven in the Outer Hebrides and the label of the weaver Donald John Mackay.

Priscilla Chase, Healthy Back Bag Company, UK Managing Director, said: “With the increasing popularity and timeless nature of tweed, it was a natural development for The Healthy Back Bag Company to expand the line and incorporate the top quality tweed into the new range. The Harris Tweed Collection is built on transitional pieces that can work on warm autumn days through to the chills of January.”

Alistair Gronbach, Head of UK & Ireland Marketing for VisitScotland said: “Recognition from global brands such as the Healthy Back Bag Company is helping to preserve traditional hand weaving skills in the Outer Hebrides. Tweed is still a much loved fashion accessory used by top designers and worn by high-profile celebrities. In 2004, Nike purchased 9,500 metres of Harris Tweed for use in a new range of trainers so there is a lot of interest out there, which will help ensure the future survival of this unique industry.”

To download a fact sheet on the Essence of the Outer Hebrides or to book a break, log on to Visitscotland.com.