Harris Tweed opens exhibit at Milan's Triennale Salone del Mobile

The Harris Tweed Authority has teamed up with the V&S Dundee to showcase a number of iconic outfits crafted from its handwoven fabrics at Milan's Design Triennale Exhibition, as part of the annual Salone del Mobile.

"A lover of wild open spaces, I feel an affinity for Harris Tweed," said designer Margaret Howell on Harris Tweed. "Weaving on hand looms creates a depth and complexity of texture that can't be imitated by a mechanical process. The resilient wool, the designs in earthy colours - reflect the landscape, the climate and the skills of the local people who produce it."

The exhibition, which is set to include looks from designers Ermenegildo Zegna, Margaret Howell and Dame Vivienne Westwood, comes not long after Harris Tweed doubled the production of its signature fabric to 1.7 million metres a year in order to fulfill increasing global demand. To celebrate Harris Tweed international commercial growth, the company, together with the V&A Museum of Design Dundee, will showcase fabric heritage handicraft and design talents of Scotland at Milan's Design Triennale Exhibition.

"We wanted to showcase with our colleagues at the V&A the exceptional design innovation coming out of Scotland," said Lorna Macaulay, Chief Executive Officer of the Harris Tweed Authority to WWD. "We feel the garments and overall look achieved through exhibiting Zegna, Westwood, and Margaret Howell captures the very essence of classic yet contemporary use of Harris Tweed in both men's and women’s wear. Margaret Howell’s choice of fabrics echoes the landscape in which the cloth is handwoven by skilled craftsmen and women."

The exhibition, which began earlier this month, is set to run until September 12, 2016.