IT was the deal that brought an extra touch of Parisian glamour to a Scottish Borders mill town.
Chanel, one of the world’s biggest luxury brands, swooped last week to acquire the troubled Barrie Knitwear factory in Hawick in a move that caught most observers by surprise.
Yet the two firms have worked closely together for years, Chanel being a long- admirer of the craftmanship in the Borders town and the ability to interpret sketches from world-renowned Parisian fashion designers. Bruno Pavlovsky, head of fashion for the fashion house, said the collapse of Barrie’s parent company, Dawson International, into administration in August caused grave concern at Paris headquarters.
Barrie had been producing Chanel’s signature cashmere cardigans for more than 25 years and the privately-owned Chanel has been known to move quickly when protecting its at-risk suppliers. When news came that the company was up for sale, Pavlovsky flew to the Borders in order to view the factory and start negotiations.
He said: “That was not something we wanted for Barrie because it is quite important for the development of our collection, our manufacturing process. Scotland for cashmere is very important for us and is part of the image of the luxury product and we want to keep that alive.”
There was no value put on the transaction, but it saved the jobs of all 176 workers and will leave the existing management in place.
When the deal was struck, Chanel confirmed that Barrie would continue to supply other outlets, as well as maintain production and design of its own John Laing line of high-end cashmere men and womenswear.
Pavlovsky does not rule out further investments in the sector. The acquisition of Barrie was the second for Chanel this year after it snapped up Italian shoemaker Roveda.
Since the early 1980s, it has acquired a number of “ateliers” (workshops) known for their artisanal craftsmanship, including the glovemaker Causse, embroiderers Lesage and Montex, bootmaker Massaro and milliner Maison Michel.
He said: “The strategy behind all these different acquisitions was because we are a creative company. We don’t have a knitwear company in China, it is not useful for us. We develop each of the six collections in three weeks, we need the people around us to be agile.
“We work with 400 suppliers and many we have worked with for a long time. For us it is important to be able to keep them. They need to be able to take a sketch and take it to a prototype and that is what Barrie does very well for Chanel.”
Chanel works with another firm in Scotland which produces tweed, whose identity is undisclosed. But Pavlovsky is concerned that the textiles industry across Europe is “fragile”.
“Tweed is becoming more and more difficult to manufacture – it is one of the most fragile parts of our supply [chain]. Fabrics are becoming more fragile here and in Italy.”
Last week, Chanel announced it would be bringing its annual Métiers d’Arts catwalk show to Edinburgh for the first time in December, hosted by the label’s creative director Karl Lagerfeld.
Pavlovsky hints that the arrival of Chanel could galvanise what has been a growing awareness in the international fashion world of the unique heritage of Scottish textiles. Menswear labels in particular have been featuring Fair Isle knitwear, while the US-based high-end department store chain Saks Fifth Avenue has been stocking scarves and jumpers from Hawick Knitwear, Johnston’s of Elgin and Todd & Duncan – also formerly owned by Dawson International.
At the same time, trendy labels such as Band of Outsiders, J. Crew and Robert Geller have been putting in orders for Harris tweed.
Pavlovsky said the acquisition of Barrie and the bringing of its big, annual fashion extravaganza to Edinburgh was a coincidence – but a canny one.
“The decision was taken before what happened with Barrie. Perhaps Scotland is to be part of the centre of fashion. Something is happening. For us, all these signs are probably also linked with Chanel, with tweed, the knitwear – perhaps it is a new step.”