Scottish knitwear grew out of the hosiery trade of the Borders in the late 1700s, when stocking frames arrived in Hawick. By the Victorian era the town's mills were knitting fine cashmere and lambswool for London tailors, and by the 20th century 'made in Hawick' had become shorthand for the world's best cashmere sweaters. Elgin, further north, is home to Johnstons, the only vertical mill in Scotland to take raw cashmere through to finished garment.
Two things distinguish Scottish knitwear. The first is finishing: garments are washed in the region's soft water and raised with natural teasels, producing a fuller, warmer, slightly brushed hand. The second is the fully-fashioned method, in which every panel is knitted to shape and then linked stitch by stitch, rather than cut from a roll of fabric. The Shetland Isles add their own tradition of Fair Isle colourwork and lofty Shetland wool jumpers, protected by a certification trademark.
Today the Scottish industry is smaller than at its peak, but the surviving houses — several now owned by luxury groups such as Chanel — remain the reference for classic cashmere.
Knitwear houses in Scotland
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Barrie
$$$$Chanel-owned Hawick cashmere house, designed in Paris and knitted in the Scottish Borders
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Begg x Co
$$$$Ayrshire cashmere house famed for scarves, now with fully-fashioned cashmere knitwear
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Seam-free whole-garment Shetland and lambswool knitwear from a family mill in Peterhead
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Scotland's only vertically integrated cashmere mill, spinning and knitting its own fibre since 1797
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Heritage Borders house behind the Argyle jumper and the twinset
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Family-run Hawick knitter of dense multi-ply cashmere, Geelong lambswool and camelhair
Scotland knitwear: frequently asked questions
Which luxury knitwear brands are from Scotland?
Luxury knitwear houses from Scotland in this index include Barrie, Begg x Co, Harley of Scotland, Johnstons of Elgin, Pringle of Scotland and William Lockie. Scotland is the historic centre of luxury cashmere knitting.
Why is Scottish cashmere so good?
Scottish cashmere combines two centuries of fully-fashioned knitting expertise with a distinctive finishing process: garments are washed in the soft water of the Borders and raised with teasels, giving a fuller, warmer and softer hand than most Italian or Asian cashmere. The best mills also use long-fibre Grade A cashmere and 2-ply yarn.
Which Scottish town is famous for cashmere?
Hawick, in the Scottish Borders, is the most famous cashmere town; mills including Barrie, William Lockie and Hawick Cashmere are based there. Elgin in Moray is home to Johnstons of Elgin, Scotland's only vertically integrated cashmere mill.