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Harris Tweed secures a coat of arms

By Danielle Wightman-Stone

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Fashion

Harris Tweed’s orb trademark has been officially recognised as a coat of arms, protecting the tweed cloth woven by hand against any unauthorised use.

The Lord Lyon, King of Arms has granted that the Harris Tweed orb, which identifies tweed and cloth hand-woven in the Western Isles with wool yarn from island sheep, to be the industry’s coat of arms.

The Harris Tweed Authority were awarded official letters patent at a ceremony in Edinburgh this week and have stated that recognition will provide further protection against counterfeiting.

Norman Macdonald, chairman of the Harris Tweed Authority, said: "Being awarded a Grant of Arms is a historic milestone for Harris Tweed which has fought for decades to protect the sanctuary of the Harris Tweed cloth.

"It's the ultimate protection for our products which are known for throughout the world for consistently high standards of quality and authenticity.”

Macdonald added: “It’s an honour to receive the Grant of Arms from Lord Lyon himself and we are grateful to be able to ensure the security of our cloth and its heritage for generations to come."

The orb will be incorporated into a shield to become the coat of arms.

Images: Harris Tweed Authority Facebook

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