There are many in the textile industry that write-off industry awards as merely industry awards; we at Harris Tweed Hebrides (HTH) do not include ourselves in this group. On the 23^rd May HTH won both Textile Business of year and Manufacturer of the year at the prestigious UKFT Awards ceremony in Mayfair, London.

Industry recognition matters not just for publicity – though that is welcome – it sends a reassuring bolt of light through your entire company. A shot of energy that says you have a great product, you’ve done a great job. This is especially true for Harris Tweed, an industry that was subjected to negative press and market appeal for over a decade before Ian Angus Mackenzie unlocked a rusty door to the mothballed Shawbost Mill back in November 2007.

HTH have now won awards at the Scottish Fashion Awards, Style Awards, Institute of Directors Awards (for Chairman Brian Wilson) but the UKFT Awards seem even more special. It is an award from an informed institution representing your fellow companies; many of whom we have the highest respect for. It is an award that emboldens every person in the company with a sense of pride and security particularly the mill workers and weavers who are the beating heart of the Harris Tweed industry.

On the back of this ceremony HTH appeared in Drapers magazine and a plethora of press and on-line media. Top designers, journalists, trendsetters and industry big-hitters are all talking about the Clo Mor. A renaissance is by definition finite. Harris tweed is back and the ambition is to make sure it will never descend to the periphery again; it is a challenge that we all relish.