Established in 1929 – with textile knowledge and technical expertise spanning three generations of the same Harley family – Harley of Scotland are market leaders in seam free whole garment knitwear. With a heritage anchored in fair isle knitting techniques, Harley garments are inspired by the local landscapes and culture of the North-East and Northern Isles of Scotland.
HERITAGE
Established in 1929 by Peter Harley Buchan – great-grandfather and grandfather of the current owners – Harley of Scotland’s factory is still located on the original factory site, originally herring fish yards. The company originally began knitting traditional fisherman’s hosiery socks to the local marketplace.
As a young fisherman, Peter Harley Buchan was inspired by the unique symbolism of the patterns of the Fair Isle sweaters he saw Northern Isles fishermen. Using Shetland wool, he later went on to produce beautiful Fair Isle knitwear using the beautiful melanges of colour, pattern and texture. These garments were inspired by the sea, the spectacular coastline and represented our local culture and heritage.
CORE VALUES
QUALITY MANUFACTURE
Throughout yarn selection, garment design, manufacturing processes and attention to detail, our focus is always on the highest quality and producing finest Scottish knitwear available.
NATURAL FIBRES
With an emphasis on natural fibres we work with the finest Scottish and Italian yarns available on the market. From our classic Supersoft Shetland sourced and spun locally in Aberdeenshire, through our superfine Lambswool to the finest Scottish Cashmere. All yarns selected are carefully tested and graded for our quality sweaters and created for the demands of our highly discerning customers.
PROVENANCE
Our knitwear is made with care in Scotland and we carefully source all our yarns according to their quality and sustainability standards. We care about the environment and the ethical sourcing of our raw materials.
ZERO WASTE
Seam-free whole garment knitting means our knitwear is knitted flatbed tubular “in the round” and cast off the machines as a complete sweater. We are proud to offer our knitwear to market with zero waste.