Many of you will know Dashing Tweeds, the London-based store that does dashing things with tweed. Some readers will have picked up my love for a particular breed of sheep found mostly in Cumbria where it was allegedly introduced by the Vikings - the Herdwick.
Herdwick ewe and lamb on Charlotte Chaplin's farm
Sadly, in recent years, the Herdwick's fleece has been used mainly for insulation and carpets and even wastefully burnt when the prices are low. But some, like shepherd Charlotte Chaplin, based in South Cumbria, see a wool that, properly processed, makes warm, durable and beautiful naturally-coloured cloth. Such properties appeal to Guy Hills of Dashing Tweeds who saw the possibility of a collaboration, tailoring this very British wool cloth to make unique clothing.
Charlotte Chaplin on her Cumbria farm
I've been long wanting something made from Herdwick cloth to celebrate my love for The English Lake District and the feisty sheep that live there. I've seen vintage suits in Cumbria tailored from the cloth, but hadn't yet found anything I could use, so I was delighted when Guy Hills approached me to suggest a collaboration whereby he made me a jacket from Charlotte Chaplin tweed.
From black through brown to grey and cream, Herdwick sheep cover a rage of natural colours
Charlotte Chaplin runs her family-run farm In Cumbria. With pastures in the valley, it extends up, through wooded hillsides, to the fell where the sheep graze throughout the year. Herdwick sheep are born black with white patches on the face and ears. They eventually live out on the fell with their mothers where they are 'hefted' or 'heafed', learning to survive the harsh weather within the bounds of an unfenced area of mountainside or 'heaf'.
As they age they turn brown, then creamy white and older sheep develop patches of ginger. As a result, Herdwick fleeces contain a range of colours, from cream, white, brown, ginger, through grey to black. These colours make wonderful undyed woollen cloth.
Charlotte Chaplin with a Herdwick fleece and a garment tailored from her tweed
I visited during lambing time, which is in April through to May. This is later than many lowland breeds of sheep as weather conditions aren't ideal for lambing earlier. Even April brings occasional periods of snow - but the weather was beautifully spring-like as Charlotte showed me her flock and the workshop in which she develops her tweed products.
Herdwick tweed and yarns in natural undyed colours
Dashing Tweeds needs no introduction. Their fresh take on tweed design offers a welcome change to those looking for clothes that are different. From safe to challenging, their designs enable men and women to express themselves in ways that routine high street styles do not. Their support for British-made cloth is important and underlies this collaboration with Charlotte Chaplin.
The Charlotte Chaplin tweed jacket, made to measure from Dashing Tweeds
The jacket is made to measure and, as can be seen, I wanted it tailored to give a soft, unlined, unstructured outline. Tweed can be warm in anything but cool weather, but wearing it unlined extends its range further giving an adaptable garment that can be used well into early summer and autumn. It has been beautifully tailored; the internal seams finished with sky blue tape - a colour that goes well with the oatmeal tweed.
I now have a beautiful jacket made from a rare and fascinating tweed that gives individuality and interest and is as comfortable to wear as an old piece of knitwear.
Links:
Dashing Tweeds - To book a Made to Measure appointment using Charlotte’s designs, email here or visit the store at 47 Dorset Street, Marylebone.
This was a collaboration with Charlotte Chaplin and Dashing Tweeds - the jacket was made and given to me. I was not compensated in any other way.
