The use of tweed became widespread at the end of the Victorian era in England for the practice of old sports (such as hunting) or new ones (such as cycling or golf). Good society appreciated tweed for its country spirit and rusticity, as opposed to the smoother, more formal fabrics used for city clothes like the morning coat or the frac.
Tweed was strong, warm and durable because it was woven from very strong woolen spun. Many regions of northern Europe produced tweeds of various qualities: Harris tweed in the north of Scotland, Shetland tweed in the islands of the same name, Donegal tweed with speckled effects in Ireland, softer Saxony tweed in Germany, etc… Therefore, tweed is not material (like wool or cotton) nor a way of weaving (like flannel or velvet). It is in fact a word that designates a rather rustic fabric (wool, wool & cashmere, why not lambswool) woven in canvas or herringbone, plain or checked.

At Scavini, we classify fabrics that fit this description as tweed. Tweed is a rustic and warm spirit for winter. A fabric with a character that smells like walks in the woods and fishing parties. Very pleasant in the city too, as a complement to a Barbour.

Clothmaker Albano Morgado is a newcomer to Scavini. Located in Castanheira de Pera, Portugal, it specializes in fabrics made from worsted virgin wool, the most natural and closely related to sheep’s wool.

Their tweeds have nothing to envy those from the UK, and we wove a few hundred meters of them with undisguised pleasure. As well as a rare blend of camel hair and wool, for pants that are as soft as they are warm for winter. Working with a Portuguese draper enables us to continue producing high-quality garments, particularly pants, in Western Europe, with an ecological and social conscience.

The manufacturing of complex models not being possible with our former provider in Romania, we looked for a workshop in Portugal to develop our Gurkha and Fishtail models.

This small artisanal structure founded and directed by a Franco-Portuguese textile baron gave us carte blanche to design qualitative and challenging products, with small series. The thirty or so seamstresses of this workshop perform wonderfully and for us, it is a real pleasure to be flexible and reactive. This relative proximity allows us to reduce our carbon footprint while producing locally.