Once again, as we look to the past for design inspiration and long for a more elegant era of dressing, tweed is back in a big way. This season, the fabric is everywhere: jackets, trousers, bags, hats and even shoes are all sporting the tweed treatment, and the appeal is easy to see.

Tweeds offer a great way of introducing color into a normally drab menswear palette and also provide superb insulation, which is vital to survive the inclement British climate.

It owes these qualities to its production process: the cloth is woven as tightly as possible, often with a ’twill’ weave (when the strands are woven in a diagonal cross-weave pattern), increasing density.

The most illustrious of tweeds, Harris Tweed, originates from Scotland’s Isle of Harris in the Outer Hebrides. Widely considered to be one of the finest quality tweeds, this virgin wool cloth is still made by hand today.

Lookbook Inspiration

Key Pieces

• Asos Harris Tweed Peacoat
• Farah Vintage Tweed Trouser
• Signature Collaboration Harris Tweed Satchel
• Topman Harris Tweed Navy Blazer And Waistcoat
• Topman Harris Tweed Green Waistcoat
• J.crew Slim-fit Harris Tweed Blazer
• River Island Dark Green Holloway Road Tweed Check Coat
• Topman Burgundy And Grey Mix Tapered Skinny Trousers
• Richard James Harris Tweed Jacket
• Jigsaw Harris Tweed Overcoat
• Topman Tweed Wallet
• Ben Sherman Tweed Hat

2. Cashmere

Among the most coveted yarns in the world, cashmere is prized for its super-soft texture and exceptional heat retention.

Harvested from the cashmere goat, indigenous to central Asia, the yarn first rose to fame in the West in the late 18th Century, when cashmere shawls were imported from Kashmir, India (then spelled ‘Cashmere’ by the colonial British).

Cashmere was used more prominently in everyday garments such as jumpers and cardigans with the casualization of dress styles, which began in the 1920s.