Top 10 Best Textile Manufacturers in Scottish Borders

Textiles in the Scottish Borders: The Heartland of Luxury Knitwear

No industry is more closely bound to the identity of the Scottish Borders than textiles. For more than two centuries, the mill towns of Hawick, Galashiels, Selkirk, Innerleithen and Peebles have produced knitwear and woven cloth of exceptional quality. The soft water of the Tweed and its tributaries, ideal for washing and finishing wool, combined with abundant local sheep farming and the power of fast-flowing rivers, created the conditions for an industry that became globally renowned.

Today the Borders remains the world centre for luxury cashmere knitwear. Mills in Hawick in particular manufacture for many of the most prestigious fashion houses in Europe and beyond, often under confidential arrangements. The region also produces tweed, tartan, lambswool and technical textiles, sustaining skills that have been passed through generations of local families.

What Makes Borders Textiles Distinctive

Quality in this industry comes from an accumulation of details. Fibre selection matters enormously, with the finest cashmere and merino sourced globally but processed locally. Spinning, dyeing and finishing techniques developed over decades produce hand and drape that machinery alone cannot replicate. Fully fashioned knitting, where garment panels are shaped on the machine rather than cut from fabric, reduces waste and produces superior fit and durability.

Finishing is perhaps the most jealously guarded stage. Washing, milling and pressing transform a knitted panel into a garment with the softness and loft that defines luxury cashmere. Borders mills have refined these processes over generations, and the specific characteristics of local water are still cited as a genuine factor in the result.

The Top 10 Textile Manufacturers in the Scottish Borders

1. Johnstons of Elgin

While headquartered in Moray, Johnstons of Elgin has significant connections to Borders textile production and stands as one of the most respected vertically integrated cashmere and woollen manufacturers in the world. The company handles everything from raw fibre through to finished garment, supplying leading luxury brands alongside its own collections.

2. Hawico

Based in Hawick, Hawico is an internationally recognised cashmere knitwear brand and manufacturer. The company produces from its Borders facility using traditional fully fashioned techniques, and its garments are sold in premium retailers around the world. It exemplifies the town's ability to combine heritage craft with contemporary design.

3. Lyle & Scott

Founded in Hawick in the nineteenth century, Lyle & Scott is one of the most recognisable names in Scottish knitwear. The brand built its reputation on fine-gauge knitwear and golf apparel, and its heritage remains deeply rooted in Borders manufacturing tradition.

4. Barrie Knitwear

Barrie, based in Hawick, is among the finest cashmere manufacturers anywhere. Its acquisition by a major French luxury house underlined the global value placed on Borders knitting expertise. The mill produces intricate, technically demanding cashmere pieces and continues to invest in both craft skills and advanced machinery.

5. Johnstons and Hawick Cashmere Company

Hawick Cashmere has manufactured in the town for decades, producing classic and contemporary knitwear using traditional Borders methods. The company is known for its commitment to local production and for maintaining apprenticeship routes into the industry.

6. Lochcarron of Scotland

Based in Selkirk, Lochcarron is one of the world's leading tartan weavers. The company produces an extensive range of authentic tartans for Highland dress, interiors and fashion, and supplies internationally. Its Selkirk mill combines heritage weaving expertise with modern production capability.

7. Alex Begg

Renowned for luxury cashmere accessories including scarves, stoles and throws, Alex Begg produces woven cashmere of exceptional quality for leading global fashion brands. Its expertise in weaving, as distinct from knitting, complements the region's knitwear strength.

8. Scott & Charters

A Hawick-based knitwear manufacturer, Scott & Charters produces cashmere and lambswool garments for discerning international customers. The company specialises in classic knitwear construction and is valued for its consistency and attention to finishing detail.

9. Peter Scott

Peter Scott is a long-established Hawick knitwear house producing fine cashmere and lambswool garments. Its history reflects the broader Borders story of craft manufacturing serving premium global markets from a small Scottish town.

10. Borders Independent Weavers and Craft Producers

Beyond the larger mills, the Borders supports numerous small weavers, hand-knitters and craft textile producers creating tweeds, blankets, accessories and bespoke pieces. These makers preserve niche techniques, supply the tourism and gift markets, and increasingly reach international customers through online sales.

Innovation Alongside Heritage

It would be a mistake to view Borders textiles as purely traditional. Mills have invested heavily in computerised knitting machines capable of complex patterning, digital design systems that shorten sampling cycles, and automated finishing that improves consistency. Some producers are developing technical textiles for performance and industrial applications.

Sustainability has become a central concern. Wool and cashmere are natural, biodegradable and renewable fibres, and the durability of well-made knitwear stands in direct contrast to fast fashion. Mills are investing in water treatment, energy efficiency, waste reduction and fibre traceability, while repair and refurbishment services extend garment life. Several producers now offer recycling of worn cashmere into new yarn.

Challenges Facing the Industry

The sector faces real pressures. Skilled labour is the most acute, with experienced knitters, linkers and finishers approaching retirement and younger recruits harder to attract to manufacturing. Industry bodies and local colleges have responded with training programmes and apprenticeships, though the pipeline remains tight.

Trade conditions, currency volatility and changing export arrangements affect a sector where a large majority of output is sold overseas. Competition from lower-cost producers is persistent, though the very top of the luxury market remains defensible on quality grounds.

Why the Borders Still Matters in Global Fashion

Luxury brands continue to manufacture in the Borders because the combination of skill, heritage and finishing quality cannot easily be replicated elsewhere. Provenance carries genuine commercial value, and the phrase describing Scottish manufacture remains a meaningful mark of quality to discerning consumers worldwide.

Final Thoughts

The textile manufacturers of the Scottish Borders represent one of the finest concentrations of craft manufacturing skill in Europe. From world-famous cashmere houses in Hawick to tartan weavers in Selkirk and independent makers across the region, they sustain an industry that is simultaneously deeply historic and commercially current.