City
We were established in 1797. We’re the second oldest family business in Scotland, which is quite an accolade—to have survived and grown and expanded over these many years. We’re a very traditional business, but we’re also innovating and always developing new products. In 1860, we were the first people in Great Britain to import cashmere fibre. To this day, we’re leaders in cashmere and other fine fibres.
I think Scottish people are always striving and driving themselves to do better. We have people who have worked here for 40-50 years. Craftspeople, people that are greatly skilled. We benefit greatly from having people working like that in our mill. This is consistent with other businesses in Scotland.
The finest quality water is essential to both. In many parts of Scotland, rock formations serve as a water filtration system and create springs—each with their own unique quality of water. Distilleries formed around these springs, and many of those that survived over the years, did so in part because of the quality of their water. In terms of textiles, we derive our water in much of the same way. The water we use is soft, and perfect for textile production. This allows us to produce, particularly with cashmere, the finest and softest fabric or knitted garments—which are of the highest quality. We know this because we have some of the very top fashion houses in the world coming to us to produce for them. We can achieve this type of high quality, in part, because of the water we use.
We’re custodians. We’re looking after a business that is important to the local community. And that community is important to us as well. A family business can understand and appreciate that connection.
