TEXTILES SCOTLAND HOSTS SUCCESSFUL BIID MEMBERS TOUR

A recent visit to Scotland by members of The British Institute of Interior Design (BIID) and hosted by Textiles Scotland was pronounced ‘a triumph’ by BIID Vice President Susie Rumbold.

A group of five established interior designers and BIID members, including Susie, attended a three day tour of some of Scotland’s finest textile producers and suppliers. The tour included visits to traditional mills and the studios of some of the country’s most creative designers. Scotland’s textiles industry offers a unique fusion of rich heritage, innovation and unrivalled creativity, producing internationally revered products which the BIID team of Interior Designers were keen to find out more about.

The group were based at the stunning Blythswood Square Hotel, an award-winning 5 star spa hotel located in the heart of vibrant Glasgow. Over the three days they were transported to locations all over Scotland to see first-hand, the very best of the Scottish textiles industry.

Highlights of the visit included a visit to textile manufacturers Begg and Co. Established in 1866 in the Scottish town of Paisley, the company prides itself on technical prowess, skilled craftsmanship and meticulous attention to detail. Today, nearly a century and a half later, these principles are still adhered to. The BIID members on the tour were fascinated to learn more about the company’s time-honoured traditional weaving and finishing methods, which combine with cutting-edge production techniques. The group loved visiting the working mill and enjoyed the hugely informative tour.

They also visited Selkirk based DC Dalgliesh, the world’s only hand-crafted tartan mill. The BIID group learnt about the company’s traditional weaving techniques, where they still hand-weave short lengths on unique single-width looms, making their fabrics particularly prized. DC Dalgliesh’s traditional and contemporary tartans are world renowned, commissioned by top designers such as Vivienne Westwood and worn by the Royal family, including the Duchess of Cambridge.

A further highlight of the trip was a visit to Bute Fabrics, a contemporary fabric designer and manufacturer of wool upholstery fabrics, based on the isle of Bute, off the west coast of Scotland. The visit featured a hugely informative mill tour and the group enjoyed seeing the collaborations with internationally acclaimed textile designers Timorous Beasties.

The BIID team also visited MYB Textiles, which was founded in 1900 in the Irvine Valley of Ayrshire, Scotland. MYB Textiles is now the only producer in the world manufacturing patterned lace with original Nottingham Lace Looms, some of which are over 90 years old and up to 1220cms wide. The BIID guests learned about the extremely labour intensive manufacturing process, whereby the looms run at a very slow, controlled pace so as to give a high level of quality control. It was a fascinating factory tour which gave the BIID visitors a real appreciation of how detailed the lace making process is.

BIID Vice President Susie Rumbold commented; “My BIID colleagues and I were delighted to take part in this tour, which was not just educational, but inspirational too. We loved getting a ‘behind the scenes’ glimpse of the wonderful craftsmanship on display in the mills and manufacturers we visited. The Scottish textiles industry produces some of the most beautiful fabrics on earth and as an Institute we’re proud to be supporting the work that Textiles Scotland are doing to raise public awareness of these world class products.”

Hazel Brodie from Scottish Enterprise commented; “We initially met The British Institute of Interior Design at Decorex London in 2013 - so it was a great opportunity to invite some members up to Scotland for them to understand more about the Scottish companies, their history and see the textiles products being made - whilst enjoying some Scottish hospitality. I am delighted that the group enjoyed their Scottish tour and we would very much like to host another visit to Scotland next year."