Barrie, one of Scotland's oldest standing knitwear manufacturers, was first opened in 1903, in Hawick, along the banks of The River Teviot, near Edinburgh. Like its native land, the headquarters are a place of contrast—soft light and stark architecture, surrounded by cold weather and warm hearts. Over a century later, Barrie still embraces its deep history while taking significant steps toward a more sustainable future for the cashmere industry. Alongside Chanel, who acquired the company in 2012, Barrie's initiatives remain steadfast: to ensure the highest level of quality and traceability for its cashmere while ensuring local shepherds and sheep farmers receive fair wages. For Barrie, making the best cashmere has to be as soft on the planet as it is on the skin.
Walking through the Barrie factory, there are both remnants of the past with its original black-and-white knitting machines and glimpses of the future with complex state-of-the-art computer programs. Scotland, now the epicenter of cashmere production, only became so when the Capra Hircus Laniger, or cashmere goats, were shepherded to the Scottish Highlands from Mongolia in the 19th century. Since then, strains on resources and the climate have created unique challenges for the cashmere industry: The cashmere goat, once soft and buttery, has developed a new coarse coat responding to evolving climate conditions.
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