Scottish textiles take centre stage in Dior 2025 Cruise Collection
13/06/2024
UKFT members Harris Tweed Hebrides, Robert Mackie and Johnstons of Elgin were in the spotlight as part of the Dior 2025 Cruise Collection on 3 June 2024, the luxury label’s first catwalk to be shown in Scotland in 70 years. The collaboration demonstrated its rich connections to the country, its history and culture.
Scroll down to read more about these collaborations.
On 3 June 2024, Dior presented 2025 Cruise Collection in the gardens of Drummond Castle in Scotland. For the first time in 70 years, Dior returned to Scotland to hold a catwalk show, revealing its new collection. Having been inspired by Scotland’s textile history, Dior’s Creative Designer Maria Grazia Chiuri collaborated with local businesses to showcase national craftmanship. These businesses include UKFT Members Harris Tweed Hebrides, Robert Mackie and Johnstons of Elgin.
The event featured invited guests including A-list celebrities like Jennifer Lawrence, Geri Horner, Anya Taylor Joy, and Emma Raducanu, alongside the collaborating Scottish businesses and other fashion influencers.
Photos taken by Alessandro Lucioni
Harris Tweed Hebrides
Models walked down the runway in dresses, skirts and jackets created from UKFT member Harris Tweed Hebrides tartan and crafted into classic Dior silhouettes.
In November 2023, the Dior team led by Creative Director Maria Grazia Chuiri visited the Harris Tweed Hebrides mill. Maria’s visit inspired the Dior Cruise 25 collection which focused on Scottish heritage and tradition. Using the hues of the island’s landscape and seascape to create three bespoke Harris Tweed fabrics, the distinctive tartans dominated the runway show at Drummond Castle.
Harris Tweed Hebrides is the British heritage cloth with modern luxury standards, dedicated to the highest level of craftmanship and creativity since 2007. Harris Tweed Hebrides is committed to social and environmental responsibility in their unique island community. Their single country of origin cloth is created here, from premium 100% British Pure New Wool, handcrafted at home by independent weavers in the Outer Hebrides since 1840.
Today, Harris Tweed Hebrides continues to celebrate mastery of techniques with contemporary designs, while remaining faithful to our core values: legacy, luxury, low impact.
Each Dior Harris Tweed tartan is filled with the rich vibrant tones of the Hebridean island community. The colours of the landscape and Atlantic seascape are embedded in the deep blended woollen yarn shades used to handweave the Dior collection.
Photos taken by Alessandro Lucioni
Robert Mackie
Established in 1845 making traditional Scottish Glengarry and Balmoral headwear bonnets, Robert Mackie have grown to become a leading Scottish knitwear manufacturer. The Robert Mackie mill is in Stewarton, Scotland.
The bonnet created for the Dior 2025 Cruise Collection was inspired by a traditional Balmoral bonnet. It is a knitted bonnet with an embroidered checkered print band and a pom-pom, which was the glamorous touch in the 18th century, with the added additions of the Christain Dior embroidered band.
Robert Mackie incorporates traditional techniques and heritage, still using some processes from the early days of Robert Mackie, the same way Dior brought heritage and beauty to the show.
Johnstons of Elgin
Johnstons of Elgin, founded in 1797, developed a woven blanket, as well as two pieces of knitwear for the Dior 2025 Cruise Collection.
In the Johnstons of Elgin archives is an embroidered map of Scotland, which was created in the 1930s. The map caught the eye of Maria Grazia Chiuri, and Johnstons of Elgin developed a blanket which featured the map of Scotland. The blanket was half knitted and half embroidered.
Johnstons of Elgin also developed two pieces of argyle knitwear. Argyle is traditional to Scotland, and the red strokes on the knitwear bring a more contemporary and modern element to them.
Johnstons of Elgin work across two sites; one in the north of Scotland in a town called Elgin and the other in Hawick in the Scottish borders.
The Dior show was a testament to the heritage and craftsmanship of Scottish textiles. Congratulations to our members who were involved in the new Dior 2025 Cruise Collection.
Harris Tweed Hebrides, Robert Mackie and Johnstons of Elgin are members of UKFT. Not yet a member?