Louise Evans unravels the rolls of Lake District tweeds on the rustic kitchen table in her glass conservatory. With views of Normandy from her home on the nine by five-mile island of Jersey, her hands run through the fabric as her eyes closely examine the weave.
Two weeks prior, Louise was approached by long-time friend Nicola Lucas, a landscape painter with a background in fashion textiles, who until now had worked in designing printed materials to be used for fashion but had always been interested in working with woven constructed textiles like tweed.
“As an artist, my practice is primarily concerned with landscapes, colours, and textures,” Nicola recalls. “I wanted the challenge of working with a different medium. The Lake District colours are the colours I use in my own paintings.”
Lake District Tweed is part of the farm diversification business, Dodgson Wood, founded by John Atkinson and Maria Benjamin at Nibthwaite Grange Farm, near Coniston.
Lake District Tweed began in 2020 with each distinct tweed inspired by and designed to replicate the valleys of the Lake District.
The wool for each tweed comes from farms in the valleys while their different designs are inspired by the specific landscapes and history of their locations, the hardy Lakeland farmers and the sheep that have grazed the fells for generations.
Maria says: “We originally had the idea to make tweed from our own wool and then managed to get the funding from the Farming in Protected Landscapes fund, part of DEFRA’s Agricultural Transition Plan, to make this happen.
“I’m Scottish and in Scotland tweeds are linked to families. I came up with the idea of linking our tweeds to places in the Lakes. Too many things are made overseas, and we wanted to make something in the Lake District from Lake District wool, a truly locally produced, quality product.”
Maria called upon the expertise of the Lancs and Lakes Guild of Weavers, Spinners and Dyers to help create workable tweed designs based on the unique aspects of each valley in their range.
Haweswater tweed is the latest to be added to the range of eight, the plan being to grow the collection to 13 by this autumn to represent all 13 Lake District valleys.
Farmers receive an above market price for their wool and a profit share from sales of the tweeds – Haweswater, Ennerdale, Coniston, Windermere, Ullswater, Borrowdale, Langdale and Grasmere – which are available to buy by the metre as well as in throws.
Haweswater tweed takes inspiration from the re-wiggling of the rivers which has helped to reduce flooding and increased the biodiversity on the land. The Cheviot wool from which it is made comes from Naddle Farm, part of the RSPB Wild Haweswater project. It is proving particularly popular in the United States.
Coniston tweed reflects the both Coniston slate and the coppermines in its warm, rich orange-browns and green-grey cloth made from wool from three farms at the southern end of Coniston valley.
All the processing for the tweed – the washing, combing, spinning and weaving – takes place in Yorkshire and the North West of England. The wool initially travels to the British Wool Board for grading then it goes on to Haworth Scouring, in Bradford, to be cleaned. It is spun in Huddersfield and finally goes to Oldham where it is woven into the finished tweed.
In a fusion of artistry and craftsmanship, artist Nicola and clothes designer Louise embarked on a creative journey that celebrates the rich heritage and natural beauty of Lake District tweed. Their collaboration has given rise to four timeless pieces that embody the essence of this unique textile, blending tradition with contemporary style.
With a background in fashion and a passion for creating bespoke pieces, Louise understands the nuances of working with versatile materials such as tweed. "Working with tweed is quite challenging. You have to design it to the strengths and weaknesses of the material,” she explains.
Louise was brought up by a seamstress mother, learning the art of pattern cutting and garment construction from an early age. "Rather than the latest fashion, she showed me the fabric and how to make it.”
This foundation allows her to create pieces that are not only stylish but also built to last.
"We live in a throwaway society and fast fashion is just a horrid business," Louise laments. "We've lost the idea of skills, but that's coming back a bit. There are a lot more people nowadays who want individual things and appreciate the skills that go into them.”
Over time, our style preferences often evolve. As we grow older, the desire for fashion that is not only stylish but also enduring becomes more pronounced. Louise explains: "When you're younger, you want what's in fashion, but when you get older, you want things to last but with a more subtle approach."
This shift in perspective is deeply tied to our personal expression and the way we choose to present ourselves to the world. "Style is innate, not necessarily something that's thought about. It’s a sensibility, an appreciation of admiring a piece of art or music – something that just speaks to you,” Nicola muses. And clothes are no different.
In her collaboration with Nicola, Louise found an opportunity to explore this nuanced relationship with style. "Working with Nicola, two people coming together with not exactly the same style, was interesting. She’s quite knowledgeable and stylish, which brought a fresh outlook to the project."
The excitement of seeing their creations worn by a younger generation was rewarding. The designs are multigenerational pieces. "We've created something beautiful and timeless for all ages, for people who appreciate quality and are willing to invest in heirloom pieces that will last lifetimes."
This sentiment is echoed by Nicola, who sees their collaboration as a celebration of personal expression. "A personal style is brave, but in a natural sense – it's not to impress or follow trends, but to make you feel completely yourself.”
The Wool Library, founded by Maria, John and wool specialist Zoe Fletcher, is working to regenerate the wool industry for generations to come, with a centuries-old industry behind them.
Its work includes creating breed-specific fully traceable British wool yarns,
empowering farmers and working with designers and consumers to celebrate wool as well as educating people on the production journey from sheep to shop.
As part of the Wool Library, the Designer Stories project pays homage to the craft of textile design, allowing the impermanence of life and things to inspire something spontaneous yet enduring. Louise explains: “It's all about the relationships. We worked with people close to us through a network, each with a reason for being there.”
This collaborative spirit, combined with a deep respect for the stories and hardships endured by the farmers behind the wool industry, imbues the final pieces with an emotional resonance. When you buy clothes with this richness of stories, another dimension is unlocked; a real sense of place and the prevalent pride and workmanship that went into it.
lakedistricttweed.com
thewoollibrary.uk
