For over 150 years, Burberry has proudly held craftsmanship and artisanal excellence at its core. As part of its commitment to championing British craft, the brand turns to one of its most enduring house codes, the Burberry Check cashmere scarf, in the latest instalment of the ‘Made in the UK’ content series.
Burberry’s founder, Thomas Burberry, was passionate about partnering with local craftspeople and manufacturers, and appreciated British fabrics of the highest quality. In 1900, he began working with Johnstons of Elgin, a family-run business founded in 1797 in Elgin, Scotland. Since then, the brand has partnered with Johnstons to create its iconic scarves.
Woven on traditional looms at Johnstons’ Scottish mill, it takes more than 30 steps to weave a single scarf. To achieve the correct Burberry Check colour pattern, the yarns are placed in a precise sequence on the loom. The fabric is washed in natural spring water which flows from the surrounding countryside, and is carefully brushed with teasels (dried flowers) to ‘raise’ the cloth, producing an ultra-soft finish.
The scarves are brushed and steamed to create the characteristic texture and natural lustre for which Burberry cashmere is known. A careful dyeing process ensures the most vivid colours in the yarns, before the scarves are finished with fringing using a specialist machine that stretches and twists each thread together.
Johnstons of Elgin is the only mill left in Scotland that looks after every process under one roof, taking raw fibre and carrying it through every stage of its transformation to the final product. Each stage is completed by dedicated craftspeople using expertise passed down through generations, and many processes are still completed by hand.
Carrie, who has been a dyer at Johnstons for nearly twenty years, and whose father also worked in the mill, talks through the process in the video below.
‘British fashion has an enduring relationship with craft, with myriad and often idiosyncratic forms existing across the British Isles today. Burberry’s long partnership with Johnstons continues Thomas Burberry’s legacy and preserves these crafts, keeping alive centuries-old Scottish traditions.’
‘Johnstons of Elgin and Burberry have worked together for almost 125 years. We share a set of values around craftsmanship, heritage and the importance of community that are the foundation of our long relationship. Our teams work closely to ensure that the creativity of Burberry design is expressed in the products we make, with quality and responsibility always at the forefront. Together we support textile skills development in the UK, maintaining traditions that go back centuries whilst innovating and developing new fabrications and beautiful pieces. It’s a great partnership.’
To encourage longevity, Burberry launched Scarf for Tomorrow: an initiative that helps ensure its signature scarves can be worn for as long as possible, through aftercare services. Scarf Refresh helps restore the material’s soft finish through specialist brushing, steaming and misting, while Scarf Upcycle allows customers to choose from a range of threads and stitching options to repair areas of damage that may have occurred.
Burberry and Johnstons of Elgin share a commitment to responsible craftsmanship. Johnstons’ wholly-owned sites run on 100% certified renewable energy, and it upholds strong partnerships with herders and farmers.
