Johnstons of Elgin establishing itself as “a brand for all seasons”
London – Scottish cashmere
brand Johnstons of Elgin returned to London Fashion Week to showcase not
what they are best known for autumn/winter staples, but to establish itself
as a label for all seasons, to shout about its contribution to luxury
British manufacturing and to showcase the strides it has been making with
cutting edgy lightweight textiles and knit innovations in cashmere silk and
cotton.
FashionUnited sat down with creative director Alan Scott backstage at
the Johnstons of Elgin’s first spring/summer presentation at the Palm Court
at the Waldorf Hilton Hotel, to discuss how the prestigious Scottish
manufacturer is building its brand – expanding upon its successful
accessories and knitwear businesses with womenswear, its quest to make
cashmere an all-season fabric, and why it is important to champion British
manufacturing and textiles.
“For us, London Fashion Week is about putting ourselves on the map and
an opportunity to showcase the newness that we are developing for a spring
season, how we are transforming our cashmere brand into a year-round
brand,” stated Scott. “As well as to showcase the breadth of what we do,
the repertoire of fabrications, and the innovation that we’ve got by
putting that type of fabric into these lightweight gorgeous pieces, that
are timeless, that are pure luxury and I think it – a great statement for
British manufacturing and British luxury.”
Last season, for autumn/winter, Johnstons of Elgin made a statement for
their fashion week debut, introducing press and buyers to its luxury
cashmere, very much a brand in its comfort zone, cashmere is essentially
still seen as a winter product, however, the Scottish manufacturer’s goal
is to offer a complete product, from accessories right through to apparel
for both men and women, and this spring/summer presentation is at the heart
of those ambitions.
Scott explained: “It is the first time we’ve ever shown spring, so it is
a very big deal for the company, and because it is so out of that comfort
zone with the winter season, what we need to show, and I think this
collection does that, is to show how cashmere can be used for an everyday,
almost casual ath-luxe sportswear type of fabrication that people fall in
love with and want to wear all the time right to something you could wear
out in the evening, something to make a real statement in to an event.”
Johnstons of Elgin showcases debut spring/summer collection
For spring/summer, Scott showcased 15 womenswear and 5 menswear
cruise-inspired looks, all designed to illustrate the year round
wearability of cashmere, as well as the viability of a luxury cashmere
manufacturer taking that big leap into luxury brand territory and raising
the profile of its womenswear brand at London Fashion Week is part of that
strategy.
“It is basically getting to the essence of Johnstons, as not many people
know the brand, especially not in womenswear. We have an incredible
accessories business and knitwear business and what we’ve never done
properly is to fuse the fabrications with the rest of the brand, this is
everything coming together to create a look, to make a complete
collection,” expressed Scott.
Inspired by the island of Ischia, situated in the bay of Naples, the
SS19 collection features pieces that are super-light, sporty, and lux in a
tropical palette of pastels, hot pinks, lemon, electric blue, juxtaposed
with cool neutrals to give contrast and depth to the capsule line. It not
only looks summery but it has been designed and crafted to take wearers
through the spring and summer months thanks to the company’s innovative
advances.
For high summer, tissue weight cashmere and mesh constructions are
highlighted, with dresses and cropped trousers surprising the fashion crowd
due to them being 100 percent cashmere, while still being light. While
other pieces designed for warm climates, showcasing Johnstons of Elgin’s
newest innovation in lightweight technology, a distinct species of cotton,
which can only be grown in a few regions of the world, that when knitted is
luxurious, silky and breathable featuring fewer seams for a cool and clean
look.
“Yes, there is a traditional element, we’ve been looking into the
archives to get those references, how we are doing it though is super
modern and that’s whats right for the market at the moment,” Scott
revealed. “No one has seen it, it is brand new, it’s about showing the
flexibility and versatility of what this fibre can do – as it can be
traditional perceived as being just one thing. We want to show the
modernness and the contemporary ways that we can develop this fibre, as not
many companies can say that they can produce, weave and design the fibre –
we produced the whole thing, it is a vertical operation where we are
sourcing the cashmere in Mongolia, and we are weaving it and dying it in
Scotland.”
Other highlights of the impressive collection included new and never
woven before cotton merino double face fabrics, used for the handmade
duster wrap coat, which the brand is calling one of its light and easy
outerwear heroes that is “perfect for the chill of early spring”, which
sits alongside the oversized chunky ribbed-style cardigan made from 100
percent cashmere showcased in a bold navy and ecru wide stripe. There are
also fluid and effortless shapes designed for the traveller in mind, with
kimono cuts, voluminous dresses and pyjama styles for a relaxed, super luxe
look.
“Cashmere is tactile, when you touch it, you fall in love and you’re
hooked,” – Alan Scott
At the heart of the brand, Scott exclaimed is about Johnstons of Elgin
being themselves, showcasing the innovations, functionality, performance
and wearability of its products, and most all offering a great quality
product for what Scott calls its “cashmere connoisseurs,” sophisticated
shoppers who understand the product, will be loyal to the brand and will
invest in pieces.
He quickly adds that there is also a new customer out there as well:
“Cashmere is tactile, when you touch it, you fall in love and you’re
hooked. It begins within something quite classic, a scarf or an incredible
suit, but there are so many opportunities such as a piece made from
double-faced fabric that you can wear during the day that’s cotton and
cashmere.
“There are so many places in life that cashmere is loved and
appreciated, it is that little piece of comfort or that amazing statement –
I’m very confident with it, and how I approach it, I don’t try to treat it
like a classic-type of fabric, I just think what can we do with this,
what’s no-one seen, what can we do that’s new – it is exciting – we have an
incredible product that can go into a red carpet situation or a weekend in
the country or to wear on a long-haul flight to Singapore.”
A product that uses ‘touch’ as a selling point needs retail space,
currently the brand has 5 stores, one on New Bond Street in London, and
three in Scotland near its mills in Elgin and Hawick, and one in St.
Andrews. The fifth store is in Nantucket in America, which Scott describes
as a “very successful” boutique that the company has had for a long time.
Expanding its retail presence is on its radar, with the company expressing
interest in adding stores in Edinburgh as well as internationally.
“It is a careful plan, but there is a plan there, we want to take the
brand international and bring that message of quality to other markets,”
explained Scott. “We already have a very successful business in Japan, but
it is very accessories driven, now we can present something that everyone
can wear, there are many avenues of work to be done, but we have it on our
radar. The main thing is to get more visibility, so we can get the
traction.”
Johnstons of Elgin flying the flag for British manufacturing
As well as Johnstons of Elgin showcasing their textile prowess, this is
a company putting Scottish and British manufacturing on the map, as every
fabric it uses is unique to the brand. All the cashmere used is woven in
the company’s mill in Elgin on the banks of the River Lossie, which
employees 700 people, while its knitwear is created by 300 employees in the
Border town of Hawick, with Scott overseeing around 20 designers who
specialise in weave, knitwear and textiles, many of which are experts in
colour, print or jacquard.
“Many of the businesses and textiles in the UK, and in the Scottish
borders, either went abroad or closed down,” said Scott. “Its needs a great
company like ours to bring it all together to create a future, – we are the
biggest employer of trainees in Scotland and we have an incredible skilled
workforce of artisans.”
Scott added: “There is a lot of self doubt sometimes among British
manufacturing that we can never be something more, as someone else might
come along and take the product, but having that confidence to say this is
who we are and let’s see where we can go with this, it is exciting as it is
a bit unknown.”
While showcasing spring/summer might be something new for Johnstons of
Elgin it is its over two centuries of manufacturing pedigree and its Royal
Warrant from Prince Charles for his estate tweeds that gives the
Scottish-based company a great foundation to really establish their apparel
business into a luxury staple. This will know doubt be helped by the
relationships it already has with quality stockists including luxury
department stores Harrods, Harvey Nichols, Liberty, Selfridges, Fenwicks
and Bergdorf Goodman, who currently stock the brand’s men’s and women’s
accessories, and knitwear.
“It’s a family business and we are the biggest textile manufacturer in
the UK, for cloth, as well as for importing and exporting cloth, so we have
lots of links in the business, the perfect vehicle to build a brand,”
concluded Scott. “We are just right at the beginning and I’m being very
realistic about what we can do – but I want to create a brand that people
fall in love with and want to buy again and again.”
“We are after longevity, something that is consistent and doesn’t change
with the wind – to be a staple luxury in the business.”
Images: courtesy of Johnstons of Elgin