Good deal on Harris tweed...

**CameronCat** · 2nd January 14, 01:51 PM

...but these are normal "sport coats" , not kilt-cut. Posting this a service to those who might be interested; however the price reduction should interest any Scot.

I was searching for a tweed jacket (for my wife to give me as a present <wink>) and came across this company in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Many others offer the same coat, but not at anything close to this price. I ordered one by phone.
This link takes you to their Tall page, but at the top you can select Regular or Short sizes as well; I believe Harris tweed is offered in those areas as well and at similar prices.

Muldoons.com

Mine arrived today and exceeded my expectations in every regard. It's well tailored, came with pockets and tail vent basted closed, sleeves nicely lined, buttons solidly attached...and fits like a glove. Highly recommended if you're in the market for such a thing.

Happy new year to all; mine's off to a great start!
JT

**CMcG** · 2nd January 14, 03:05 PM

That seems a decent price for a new Harris tweed jacket, but still too rich for my blood. I got lucky at the thrift shop recently and found one for $7

**Nathan** · 2nd January 14, 03:56 PM

Originally Posted by CMcG

That seems a decent price for a new Harris tweed jacket, but still too rich for my blood. I got lucky at the thrift shop recently and found one for $7

Nice! I paid 14.99 each at Value Village recently! You know how to find a deal, Colin!

**Farmer Jones** · 2nd January 14, 07:30 PM

Originally Posted by Nathan

Nice! I paid 14.99 each at Value Village recently! You know how to find a deal, Colin!

It seems that you also know how to find a deal. The best I have done was $21.00 at Value Village for Harris Tweed in blue herringbone by Alexander of London.

**ASinclair** · 2nd January 14, 07:50 PM

Last Summer, I was lucky enough to find two Harris Tweed jackets at one of our local Goodwill thrift stores. They were $4.99 each. They are hanging in my closet, waiting to be altered into kilt jackets.

**Farmer Jones** · 3rd January 14, 04:33 AM

I have been browsing the Muldoons link that CameronCat posted, looking at the regular sizes. I must say, I like the cut and style of the jackets, but I am confused by something. Take this rather beautiful item as an example:

http://www.muldoons.com/Harris-Tweed...IIMAIP/Product

If you read the description it says that it is Harris Tweed and it also says it is made in China.
The quoted prices are not dissimilar to a tailored Harris Tweed jacket made in Scotland. I have not seen their jackets to be able to read the labels and am wondering if this is simply a mistake on the part of the store.

**frank_a** · 3rd January 14, 06:14 AM

My first Harris Tweed find was 10USD, and VMac did an awesome job of tailoring that into a kilt jacket for me. It was basically gray, but with those purple and red threads running through it. A great find for a big guy like me. Then recently I picked up two that fit me from a Craigslist ad for 40USD, but they included nice wool trousers that fit me fine. My local seamstress wanted to try converting one into a kilt jacket for me, so I'm having her do the brown one. The gray one is fully medium gray, and I'm just keeping it for wear to the office. Nothing like a good deal, eh? Cheers! Frank

**piperdbh** · 3rd January 14, 11:15 AM

It's perfectly logical that these jackets are made in China from 'arris tweed. A tweed weaver told me a couple of years ago that a company was buying all (or nearly all) the tweed he could weave, shipping it to China, then selling the jackets online. Apparently this is it.

**CameronCat** · 3rd January 14, 12:06 PM

A tweed weaver told me a couple of years ago that a company was buying all (or nearly all) the tweed he could weave, shipping it to China, then selling the jackets online.

Yes, this seems to be it exactly. The fabric is woven in Scotland but is then sent to whomever cares to buy it and make garments from it. But based on my jacket, the wholesaler/garment producer seems to hold the Chinese tailors to a high standard. Mine has many nice touches and the totally-official Harris Tweed label on the inside. Additionally, courtesy of Muldoons, mine came on a broad, solid wood hanger and in a zip-up travel caddy.

In fairness, I believe Muldoons is only a retailer of these and not the producer; there are many vendors on-line offering the "Barva" and other HT jackets sewn in China. I found bunches -- just none at such a good price. Looks like they're all buying from the same supplier. (Which may also account the recent appearance of HT at Wal-Marts, but that's just a guess.)

And for all y'all that got your tweed jacket for a "dollar-ninety-eight, down the street", you're either easy to fit or damn lucky. Perhaps both, but my money's on the latter. <wink>

**HarveyH** · 4th January 14, 03:52 AM

Harris Tweed remains a wonderful cloth with a highly protected manufacturing process. The cloth itself is expensive but as long as the weavers are being properly supported then where the cloth goes should not matter - but in 2006 the whole industry nearly died because of a buy out of the major mill by a Yorkshire Businessman, Brian Haggas, who switched the production to only 4 patterns of cloth and made a fixed range of jackets with the cloth. The weavers went from boom to bust inside a year because of his business model. But the company are, I understand, still selling their jackets.

Fortunately for Harris Tweed, Brian Haggas did not get to take over the whole of production and some independent production continued. A consortium bought and brought back an old mill and production of the beautiful diversity of the Tweed has been allowed to flourish, thanks in particular to fashion users like Patrick Grant and finding new markets for tweed (like car interiors).

If you can get a deal on a Tweed jacket - Great! But I would hate to see another debacle through production of a limited range of tweed for 'cheap' jackets which risked the loss of the wider range of cloth production.