Reviving a Symbol of Scottish Heritage

"When you see tweed on the runway, you don't expect it to come from here," jokes former banker Alexander MacLeod as he sets up his loom in a converted barn on the shores of a Scottish loch.

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ISLE OF SCALPAY, United Kingdom -

Mr MacLeod, 38, became a weaver two years ago, joining residents on the islands of Lewis and Harris, off Scotland's north-west coast, in helping to rejuvenate the tweed industry after a significant period of decline.

"It's a good thing to keep the tradition going," he says.

Tweed is a symbol of Scottish heritage and has "always been part of the culture" on the Outer Hebrides, adds Mr MacLeod, who hails from the island of Scalpay, which is connected to Harris by a bridge. It is now "an attractive sector to be in", he says.

He left the Hebrides for seven years to work in banking, but the pull of his roots proved too strong.

Now, during the day, Mr MacLeod works for a small local cosmetics company.

In the evening, he puts on a podcast, usually about espionage, and patiently begins to weave.

Only the steady hum of his machine disturbs the calm of the old stone barn.

Harris tweed, traditionally made from 100 per cent wool, is the only fabric protected by a 1993 Act of Parliament.

It must be "handwoven by the islanders at their homes in the Outer Hebrides, finished in the Outer Hebrides, and made from pure virgin wool dyed and spun in the Outer Hebrides".

Tweed weaver Alexander MacLeod (above) on his loom in his atelier at his home on the Isle of Scalpay in the Outer Hebrides, northern Scotland. The 38-year-old left his banking job and became a weaver two years ago, helping to rejuvenate the tweed industry in the area.

An old stone barn (right) is where Mr MacLeod has set up his loom to create tweed (above). According to the Harris Tweed Authority, there are 140 weavers.