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Company type | Private |
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Industry | Wholesale manufacturer and retailer |
Founded | 1797 |
Headquarters | Elgin, Scotland, UK |
Products | Woven and knitted products |
Website | www.johnstonsofelgin.com |
Johnstons of Elgin is a British family-owned luxury fashion brand and manufacturer. Johnstons was founded in 1797 and is based in Elgin, Scotland.
Its process is split across two Scottish mills, a "vertically integrated" weaving mill in Elgin, where it has been headquartered since 1800, [1] and a knitting mill in the Scottish Border town of Hawick.
The company holds three royal warrants of appointment for the manufacture of Estate Tweeds, Knitwear, and Woven Accessories. [2] It sells direct-to-consumer under its own name, and is also a supplier for the luxury fashion industry, including brands like Hermès, Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Ralph Lauren, and Burberry. [3] [4]
Johnstons of Elgin was founded in 1797 in Elgin, Scotland by Alexander Johnston (1774-1864). [5] It was originally founded at Deanshaugh in Elgin, where Alexander was working at the time, but was soon moved to a small meal mill called ‘Newmill’ on the banks of The River Lossie in Elgin, where it remains today. [1] Machinery was purchased for the processing of wool and by 1811 the mill was vertically integrated with carding, dying, spinning, weaving and finishing all done on site. [6] The mill remains the only vertical weaving mill still in operation in Scotland today. [5] The company made its first international sale to Nova Scotia in 1813. [7]
Estate Tweeds were introduced in the late 1840s as a form of camouflage for country estate workers. [8] Johnstons of Elgin wove its first Estate Tweed in 1845, for MacDougalls of Inverness and invoiced as "Lord Lovat’s Mixture". [9] The company wove the first Super Balmoral for Queen Victoria and Prince Albert in 1853. [10] Johnstons of Elgin has held a royal warrant from HRH Prince Charles for the manufacture of Estate Tweeds since 2013. [11]
In 1835 Alexander’s son James Johnston (1815-1897) joined the business. He was responsible for introducing Australian Merino to the business in 1847, Vicuna in 1849 and Cashmere in 1851. [12] In 1851 Johnstons of Elgin exhibited at the Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations at the Crystal Palace in Hyde Park, London, winning a medal for “Superb Vicuna shawls.” [13]
Mauds, or plaids, made of undyed or natural brown wool, of different kinds of countries, viz., Cheviot, Southdown, Australian, Peruvian, Alpaca, Vicuna &c. They are used as a wrapper for the shoulders in walking, or for the knees in driving.
Ends, twenty yards each, natural brown tweed, of different wools, waterproofed. These cloths are exhibited for cheapness and durability. [14]
The company won a gold medal at the Edinburgh International Exhibition in October 1886 for “excellence in vicuna rugs”. [15]
James Johnston continued to increase the company’s export trade. In 1853 he sent plaids and tweed suits to Australia. [16] In 1855 he exhibited more rare fibre cloths, rugs and shawls at the Exposition Universelle in Paris [17] and would be awarded a diploma at a subsequent Exposition Universelle in 1867 and two bronze medals in 1878. [18] By 1880 France would be at the heart of Johnstons of Elgin’s European market, which included Italy, Germany and Belgium. [19] The company was also sending Scottish plaids, rugs and tweeds to South America and Japan by 1880 and in 1882 it sent "a shipment of 20 assorted rugs" to New York. [20]
Johnstons of Elgin received the Queen’s Award for Export Achievement in 1978, 1997 and 2002. [11] The company also received an ‘Award for Outstanding Achievement in Exporting to Japan’ in 1994. [21]
James Johnston’s son Charles J. Johnston (1845-1940) joined the company in 1865 and succeeded his father as Chairman in 1894. [22] His son Charles Ernest Johnston (1871-1918) joined the company in 1891 and was set to take over the Chairmanship when his father retired, [23] however, Charles Ernest was fatally wounded during the First World War. [24]
Johnstons of Elgin was sold to Edward Stroud Harrison (1879-1979) in 1920. ES Harrison had joined the company in 1904 as a designer and assistant to Charles Ernest Johnston. [25] Today the company is co-chaired by ES Harrison’s great-grandchildren, Neil and Jenny Urquhart.
In 1980 Johnstons of Elgin purchased Eastfield Mill in the Scottish border town of Hawick. [26] Eastfield Mill had been constructed in 1882 for Blenkhorn, Richardson & Co., tweed manufacturers and remained in their hands until the 1970s. [27] Johnstons of Elgin began to produce knitted accessories at the Hawick site, later expanding into knitted garments. The company utilises Shima Seiki knitting machines and is one of the Japanese company’s key European partners. [28]
The Hawick Mill received the Borders Business Excellence Award for Manufacturer and Exporter of the Year in 2017, [29] and in 2024 the company received a further two royal warrants from HM The King for Knitwear and Woven Accessories. [2]
The Johnstons of Elgin brand began in the 1930s when ES Harrison designed the company marque depicting a ‘J’, thistle and bee. [30] Labels bearing this marque began to appear on blankets, scarves and tailoring woven at the Elgin mill. With the purchase of the Hawick mill in 1980 the company began to add basic knitwear and accessories to its list of products. [31] By the early 2000s Johnstons was pushing the design side of the brand even further. In 2008 the company won The Outstanding Contribution to Scottish Style Award. [32]
In 2015 Johnstons of Elgin opened its flagship London store on New Bond Street, [33] and in 2018 the company gave its first presentation at London Fashion week. [34]
In an effort to attract young people to its mills and continue the artisanal expertise required to produce its products Johnstons of Elgin developed a Schools Interaction Programme, working with Primary and Secondary schools to introduce students to the variety of career opportunities available within the company. [35] In 2012 Johnstons joined the Modern Apprenticeship programme, [36] and in 2015 it became a Scottish Qualifications Agency accreditation centre. [37] In 2022 the company won the Investors in Young People Gold accreditation for the recruitment, development and retention of Scotland’s young people. [38]
The company has received several awards over the years, including the Queen’s Award for Enterprise in the Sustainability category in 2021. [39]
Johnstons of Elgin has been a certified B corporation since 2023, [40] and is one of three founding members of the Sustainable Fibre Alliance. [11]
In 2015 Johnstons of Elgin were one of three founding members of the non-profit, international organisation, the Sustainable Fibre Alliance (SFA) working alongside Mongolian cashmere goat-herders to promote sustainable grassland management. [11] By 2024 the company aims to purchase 100% of its cashmere fibre from SFA-certified sources. [41] Johnstons of Elgin also continue to source Merino wool from Australian suppliers only purchasing wool that is Responsible Wool Standard (RWS) certified. [41]
Hawick is a town in the Scottish Borders council area and historic county of Roxburghshire in the east Southern Uplands of Scotland. It is 10 miles (16.1 km) south-west of Jedburgh and 8.9 miles (14.3 km) south-south-east of Selkirk. It is one of the furthest towns from the sea in Scotland, in the heart of Teviotdale, and is the biggest town in Roxburghshire. The town is at the confluence of the Slitrig Water with the River Teviot.
Woolen or woollen is a type of yarn made from carded wool. Woolen yarn is soft, light, stretchy, and full of air. It is thus a good insulator, and makes a good knitting yarn. Woolen yarn is in contrast to worsted yarn, in which the fibers are combed to lie parallel rather than carded, producing a hard, strong yarn.
Peebles is a town in the Scottish Borders, Scotland. It was historically a royal burgh and the county town of Peeblesshire. According to the 2011 census, the population was 8,376 and the estimated population in June 2018 was 9,000.
Cashmere wool, usually simply known as cashmere, is a fiber obtained from cashmere goats, pashmina goats, and some other breeds of goat. It has been used to make yarn, textiles and clothing for hundreds of years. Cashmere is closely associated with the Kashmir shawl, the word "cashmere" deriving from an anglicization of Kashmir, when the Kashmir shawl reached Europe in the 19th century. Both the soft undercoat and the guard hairs may be used; the softer hair is reserved for textiles, while the coarse guard hair is used for brushes and other non-apparel purposes. Cashmere is a hygroscopic fiber, absorbing and releasing water from the air based on the surrounding environment. This helps regulate the body in both warm and cool temperatures.
Pashmina refers to, depending on the source, the cashmere wool of the Changthangi cashmere goat, fine Kashmiri cashmere wool, or any cashmere wool.
The River Teviot, or Teviot Water, is a river of the Scottish Borders area of Scotland, and is the largest tributary of the River Tweed by catchment area. The Teviot is an important river for wildlife, especially the Atlantic salmon, but in recent years has witnessed at least four extreme flooding events.
Ermenegildo Zegna N.V., also known as Zegna Group or the Ermenegildo Zegna Group, is an Italian luxury fashion house headquartered in Milan. It was founded in 1910 by Ermenegildo Zegna in Trivero, Biella, in the Piedmont region of northern Italy. It is led by the Zegna family and is one of the most renowned Italian men’s clothing businesses internationally. As of 2021, it is a public company that is listed on the New York Stock Exchange.
Harris tweed is a tweed cloth that is handwoven by islanders at their homes in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland, finished in the Outer Hebrides, and made from pure virgin wool dyed and spun in the Outer Hebrides. This definition, quality standards and protection of the Harris tweed name are enshrined in the Harris Tweed Act 1993.
Haircloth is commonly understood as a stiff, unsupple fabric made from coarse fibre from camelids, bovines, horses, goats, rabbits, hares and reindeers. However, a softer variation is valued in the textile and fashion industries for their rarity, aesthetics and comfort. This is because there are two types of hair used in making haircloth; a rougher outer “guard coat”, and a softer undercoat. The outer coats are used in coarse fabrics, often applied to upholstery, carpets, underskirts and hairshirts, or cilices, while "luxury fabrics" use the softer undercoat.
Tweed is a rough, woollen fabric, of a soft, open, flexible texture, resembling cheviot or homespun, but more closely woven. It is usually woven with a plain weave, twill or herringbone structure. Colour effects in the yarn may be obtained by mixing dyed wool before it is spun.
Loro Piana S.p.A. is an Italian luxury fashion brand specialized in textile manufacturing and ready-to-wear clothing headquartered in Milan, Italy. Since its start as a merchant of cashmere, vicuña, linen and merino fabrics, Loro Piana expanded to design knitwear, leather goods, footwear, fragrance and related accessories. The company has three divisions: textiles, high fashion and luxury goods. Its core branding includes the Loro Piana family signature and coat-of-arms, depicting a European beech tree, a golden eagle, and two diagonal Stars of Italy, framed by flower thistles.
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Donegal tweed is a woven tweed manufactured in County Donegal, Ireland. Originally all handwoven, it is now mostly machine woven and has been since the introduction of mechanised looms in the 1950s-1960s. Donegal has for centuries been producing tweed from local materials in the making of caps, suits and vests. Towards the end of the eighteenth century, The Royal Linen Manufacturers of Ulster distributed approximately six thousand flax spinning wheels and sixty looms for weaving to various Donegal homesteads. These machines helped establish the homespun tweed industry in nineteenth-century Donegal. Although Donegal tweed has been manufactured for centuries it took on its modern form in the 1880s, largely due to the pioneering work of English philanthropist Alice Rowland Hart.
Traditional Irish clothing is the traditional attire which would have been worn historically by Irish people in Ireland. Traditional Irish clothing consisted of the léine and brat primarily. It was worn up until the mid 1600s. During the 16th-century Tudor conquest of Ireland, the Dublin Castle administration prohibited many of Ireland’s clothing traditions.
The Harris Tweed Authority (HTA) is an independent statutory public body created by the Harris Tweed Act 1993, replacing the Harris Tweed Association, which was formed in 1910. The Harris Tweed Authority is charged with the general duty of furthering the Harris Tweed industry as a means of livelihood for those who live in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland.
N.Peal is a British cashmere knitwear and accessories brand founded in London by Nat Peal in 1936. After the brand's decline and "substantial losses" through the 1990s and early 2000s, the original company ceased operations in 2006, and then-owner Chuck Feeney sold its component parts. The N. Peal name was purchased by Adam Holdsworth, who operates it with a Head Office in Beamsley, North Yorkshire, a design team in London, and vertically integrated production “from goat to garment” in Mongolia and China.
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Vicuña wool refers to the hair of the South American vicuña, a camelid related to llamas and alpacas. The wool has, after shahtoosh, the second smallest fiber diameter of all animal hair and is the most expensive legal wool.
Hawico is a Scottish fashion brand established in 1874 and specialising in knitwear.
Alexander Johnston was a Scottish mill owner and woollen manufacturer who founded the luxury woollen company Johnstons of Elgin in Elgin in 1797.