224 year old cashmere brand Johnstons of Elgin

Around the Johnstons of Elgin factory, located south of the River Lossie in northern Scotland, notes were pinned to the wall or scrawled on whiteboards. In the dye shop, the main goals of “quality, environment” are written down. The acronym TIM WOODS is laminated in various size tables, stands for the words that make up the first letter: Transportation, Inventory, Motion, Waiting, Overprocessing, Overproduction, Defects and Skills. , Motion, Waiting, Overprocessing, Overproduction, Flaws and Skill) – eight of the most common areas of scrap that need attention. Outside, sunlight sparkled on bunches of thistles, and inside, clusters of cashmere hung in the air before being sucked into metal tubes. It is a scene of craftsmanship and craftsmanship.

224 year old cashmere brand Johnstons of Elgin

As a retail brand in its own right and the manufacturer of many of the world’s top brands – whose names are always kept private – Johnstons of Elgin plays a unique role in the cultural heritage of UK. ‘It’s a pioneering spirit, surely, was the first in the kingdom of wool cashmere . ” “There is now a feeling that we are the frontrunners in sustainability and that people are looking at us,” said Jenny Urquhart, company president and fourth-generation member of the Johnstons family.

In the luxury manufacturing world, the company’s eco-conscious credentials are something of a mythic mystery. A key brand promoting sustainable fashion, the brand is now one of three founding members of the Sustainable Yarn Alliance and is aiming to use 100% certified cashmere by 2024. Worthwhile numbers an amazing 1.2 million goats are part of the supply chain and Johnstons of Elgin is currently working with young Mongolian herders to tackle sustainable pasture management in the context of custom local.

When asked “When did you first know about sustainability?” Chief executive Chris Gaffney said: ‘Our supply chain is like an extended family, so it’s natural for us to want to understand how the whole chain works. And because we always manufacture and process such a large number of products in-house, we understand the details of every process better than anyone else.’

In addition to serving as company president, Jenny Urquhart serves as a supervisor for the business and broader industry. “That’s what I was talking about with my brother recently, what if none of us were here and none of our children were here? What do we want? That momentum has always been about what would be best for the community. It means a lot that we can provide meaningful employment in these rural areas of Scotland.

“The whole purpose of Johnstons of Elgin is for the good of the community,” she said. ‘About what we make, you can plant one of our blankets in the ground if you want! We don’t advise you to do so, but what we mean is: cherish it.”