Did you know?

Hawick, which is pronounced ‘Hoyk’, has a rich manufacturing heritage and an international reputation for producing quality goods.

But we thought it would be fun to share some facts about each of our five famous manufacturers with you. From the impressive and innovative to the quirky and humorous, here are some ‘Did you know’ facts about these leading Famously Hawick producers which you may or may not know.

Hawico Scotland - Why are the raw materials sourced from extreme parts of the Himalayas and not Scotland? This is because in order for the goat’s hair to have amazing warmth qualities, the animals need to live in extremely cold environments - and even the chilly Highlands of Scotland do not have cool enough temperatures to produce this luxury wool. Despite the distance between Mongolia, China and Scotland, Hawick and the Scottish Borders have a rich history of knitting cashmere.

William Lockie's camelhair is 100% natural, undyed and breathable. No chemicals are used in the fibre processing. These fibres are extremely soft and warm and comes from the specially bred ‘Two Humped Bactrian Camel’, which lives and roams the Gobi Desert. Because the Camelhair is undyed and natural, you can choose your garment in just one colour!

The Borders Distillery is located within a fully renovated building that was once the Hawick Urban Electricity Company whose first customer was the Hawick Temperance Society in 1903! Which then transformed into a sweetie factory (the home of Hawick Balls – if you know, you know), and then in the 1930s, an engineering firm. It was rediscovered by the founders of The Borders Distillery in 2014.

Lovat Mill is Scotland’s premier weaver of Estate and Regimental Tweeds, currently proud to supply more than 150 private estates and military regiments throughout the UK.

Johnstons of Elgin produce approximately 2500 garments, 3000 pairs of socks and 3000 gloves per week.

William Lockie - Each garment goes through approximately 30 processes of machinery and handwork until completion, including hand sewing, stitching, hand knitting and body linking.

The Borders Distillery - A lot of love was needed to renovate the old Edwardian electrical works into a manual distillery. During the renovation, it was key that the building had character and function, while being eco-friendly. This was officially recognised when The Borders Distillery won both the RIAS Conservation and Climate Change Award 2019 and the EAA Architectural Regeneration / Conservation Award in 2019.

Lovat Mill “The Home of Tweed”. The product that we all recognise as Tweed has its origins in Commercial Road, Hawick, just a few yards away from where Lovat Mill stands today. The term Tweed was coined quite accidentally in 1826 as the result of a misread label on a shipment of woven wool ‘Tweels' (the Scots word for twill) from weaver William Watson of Commercial Road in Hawick to a London cloth merchant.

Johnstons of Elgin were awarded a Royal Warrant by His Majesty the King as manufacturers of Estate Tweeds, Knitwear and Woven Accessories.

Hawico Scotland - As well as being supplied to speciality stores in the most desirable shopping locations in Europe and the USA, the brand is also available in 13 Hawico stores around the world including Milan, Geneva, Zurich, St Moritz, Sylt, Edinburgh and Tokyo.

The Borders Distillery - Whisky involves using a lot of water. The water which goes into the spirit is drawn from an underground lake deep beneath the site. The lake’s water takes between 50 and 70 years to filter down from the hills through the rock. Even if it never rained again (unlikely in the Borders!) the lake contains enough pure water to last the distillery for thousands of years.

Lovat Mill's cloths are processed in “pieces” or “bolts”, ranging in length from 40 metres to 70 metres each, according to quality.

Johnstons of Elgin is proudly B Corporation certified. In 2023, following stringent assessment, they joined a community of businesses working to build a more inclusive and sustainable economy. B Corp Certification demonstrates that a business meets high standards of social and environmental performance, transparency and accountability.

Hawico Scotland first started production in 1874 and is one of the original manufacturers from the early days of the Industrial Revolution. Last year marked 150 years of Hawico, still manufacturing knitwear at the same location today. Always made in their factory in Hawick.

The Borders Distillery will make the equivalent of 7 million bottles of single malt every year, all from locally grown barley.

Lovat Mill has a precious design archive dating back to the 1890’s and, in addition to seasonal collections, their designers work directly with customers to produce a range of exclusive woven developments.

William Lockie, born in 1835, William Lockie was employed in the hosiery trade by William Laidlaw & Sons in their finishing department. During the late 1860s, Laidlaw’s decided to abandon hosiery and sold off all of their equipment, creating an opportunity for William Lockie to branch out on his own as a hosiery manufacturer.

Photocredits: Johnstons of Elgin | William Lockies | Lovat Mill | Hawico Scotland | The Borders Distillery