For now, this 51-year-old weaver is pedaling to activate the weaving machine with a regular click, watching for any faults.

"It's hand-woven ... Well, as you can see, it's rather woven with the feet," he jokes in a voice marked by a strong Hebridean accent.

The fifty-year-old spins wool ten hours a day, allowing himself a break only on Sunday, a sacred day in this Scottish archipelago of some 26,000 inhabitants bathed in the Christian religion.

"There's no point in being very fast and making mistakes. Better to do slow, quality work," he suggests.

"It doesn't matter how bad the weather is when you're weaving," he also remarks as an icy wind outside whips the ocher-hued moor where sheep graze.

Harris tweed producer Ian Mackay at work in Shawbost, Isle of Lewis on November 24, 2021 ANDY BUCHANAN AFP / Archives

Originally from Scotland and marketed since the 1840s, tweed is more than ever on the rise: its ecological and sustainable aspect inspires designers concerned with being more respectful of the environment.

Traditionally made from 100% pure new sheep's wool, Harris Tweed is the only fabric protected by a 1993 Act of Parliament.

This stipulates that it must be "woven by hand by the islanders at home in the Outer Hebrides (...) from pure new wool dyed and spun in the Outer Hebrides".

Affixed to each piece, a logo made up of a globe surmounted by a cross certifies the origin and authenticity of this fabric.

The yarn processed on the pedal loom of tweed producer Ian Mackay, at Shawbost on the Isle of Lewis on November 24, 2021 ANDY BUCHANAN AFP / Archives

Ecological and sustainable

If it is originally associated with the aristocracy and gentlemen farmers who prized its weather-resistant character, ideal for a hunting or fishing trip, the British designer Vivienne Westwood has long diverted this image by integrating it in the punk locker room.

Like her, other big brands make it a key part of their collections.

"We are fortunate to work with the most prestigious fashion houses in the world (…) such as Chanel, Dior, Yves Saint Laurent, Hermès", quotes Margaret Macleod, sales director of Harris Tweed Hebrides.

“We have done a lot of work with Polo Ralph Lauren in the United States recently,” she adds, showing a tour of the company's lakeside factory in Shawbost, western England. Isle of Lewis.

At Harris Tweed Historic Site "Carloway Mill", West Scottish Isle of Lewis, November 24, 2021 ANDY BUCHANAN AFP

Seventy people work in this tweed factory.

The wool is dyed and spun there, then sent to some 120 home weavers.

Once the tweed is woven, it will return to the factory to be washed, dried and undergo the final finishing touches.

One third of the Shawbost factory's output goes to the UK while two thirds are exported to all corners of the world.

“We export intensively to France, Germany, Italy and many other countries in Europe. We also have strong export activities in South Korea, Japan and the United States, and China has also become a new market ", lists the sales director.

Tweed samples at the Carloway Mill site in the west of the Scottish Isle of Lewis on November 24, 2021 ANDY BUCHANAN AFP / Archives

From Chanel to Nike

In total, some 160 home weavers live in the Hebrides, working hand in hand with three factories that produce a total of 1.5 million meters per year.

Tweed is used in the manufacture of jackets, pants, coats but also shoes, handbags, armchairs or even teddy bears.

About fifteen years ago, the sportswear brand Nike had chosen Harris tweed for a collection of "trainers", a huge publicity stunt for the craftsmen of the Hebrides.

More recently, audiences have rediscovered it in popular TV series: from the aristocrats in Downton Abbey to the gangsters in Peaky Blinders to the royals in The Crown, everyone wears tweed which comes in dozens of patterns (tiles, chevrons, houndstooth, etc.) and different shades.

A village of traditional thatched cottages at Gearrannan, on the Scottish Isle of Lewis, November 24, 2021 ANDY BUCHANAN AFP

Moss green, indigo, cherry red, daffodil ... "We start with around 60 colors and mix each of those colors to create over 180 different shades of yarn," describes Margaret Macleod.

A range of colors inspired by the landscape of these remote islands, from the golden browns of the moor to the blue of the Atlantic Ocean.

According to Ms Macleod, stylists are drawn to "color" and "authenticity", and "they also want to capture a little bit of the Outer Hebrides."

© 2021 AFP