What do Taylor Swift, Guy Ritchie and The King have in common? They all love a 200-year-old fabric born in Scotland’s textile mills

Harris Tweed, Donegal Tweed — whatever your preference, the textured fabric has stood the test of time, and has never been more fashionable. One need only look to Claudia Winkleman’s Poirot-goes-punk looks on the ever popular BBC TV show The Traitors for proof of that. It comes as Tweed manufacturer Lovat Mill, renowned for its vibrant colour-mixed yarns, has launched a new collection to celebrate 200 years since the warm, woven woollen fabric that is de rigueur for many countryside activities was given its name by accident. The cloth was originally called ‘tweel’ (which is Scots for twill: a weaving pattern). Reputedly, in 1826, a London tradesman misread a label for Hawick tweed thinking it to be a trade name taken from the River Tweed in Scotland, and so ‘tweed’ was born in Scottish Borders’ textile mills.

Lovat Mill is the sole survivor of those mills and even it stared into the abyss in 1999, before it was rescued by textile experts Alan Cumming and Stephen Rendle, who went on to turn around its fortunes to the extent that its fabric now finds favour with royalty, celebrities and global fashion houses. Taylor Swift wore a Thom Browne skirt made from Lovat Mill tweed in New York last year and Sir David Beckham has also worn their fabrics. So too has Madonna — Lovat Mill created a stretch tweed for the popstar that film director Guy Ritchie, her ex-husband, still wears today.

The rough woollen fabric, known for its ability to withstand harsh weather conditions due to its moisture-resistant properties, was also beloved by Toad of Toad Hall, in Kenneth Grahame’s popular children’s book The Wind in the Willows. Perhaps this is where The Princess of Wales took her style inspiration from for her recent birthday video, in which she dons a tweed cap. She is not the only royal to favour the fabric, The King is also a fan of the brand, who created two exclusive tweeds specifically for him — one of which is called the Dumfired House Tweed, and which can only be worn by the Monarch.

But it was Gabrielle ‘Coco’ Chanel that really shot tweed to fashion stardom in the early 20th century. Originally constructed out of tweed (nowadays they’re made out of multiple materials, some still tweed), suits are a staple of the Chanel brand and still incredibly popular today. They have been worn by everyone from Diana, Princess of Wales, to Rihanna. More recently, Jonathan Anderson’s debut collection with Dior also featured Donegal tweed blazers and tweed coats. Since the creative director hails from Northern Ireland, which borders Donegal, perhaps this is no surprise, but it definitely proves that the fabric is still very much in fashion. The country clothing brand Schöffel has also been known for championing the material in their collections and Dolce & Gabbana often orders tweed from Lovat Mill — as does Dries Van Noten.

The mill’s new collection consists of 17 fabrics, many inspired by the patterns in the 15 Victorian notebooks that were rediscovered, in an attic, at the time of the 1999 takeover. ‘We opened those books and realised we were sitting on a goldmine, the very DNA of Scottish tweed,’ says Alan. ‘Hundreds of designs, all handwritten, all still usable. It was like the mill tapping us on the shoulder and saying: “Well? What are you going to do with this?”’ As designer Ruth Duff states: ‘You go back to go forward.’

This feature originally appeared in the January 7, 2026, issue of Country Life. Click here for more information on how to subscribe.