The Johnstons of Elgin Marvel

Johnstonsemploysmore than1,000 people— “we’re bigger than some universities,”Urquharttells meproudly. Itisadmirable how muchthe businessvalues its staff. Cottonsays:“No matter what machinery we buy, we can’t be better than our people,and every member of staff has their own personal learning journey planned out as a core party of their daily role.”Itis thiskind ofsensitive andforward-thinkingapproach thatisreapingrewards.

Johnstonsis what you would calla vertically integrated business, but in the purest sense of thephrase,astheytake raw cashmere fibre through to the finishing stage in complete transparency. As well,Johnstonsaresettingstandards when it comes to sustainability.“Weestablishedthe Sustainable Fibre Alliance with Keringgroup, and that is the rulebook that everyone follows and is industry standard for the herdsman, flocks, families and further education,”Scottsays.“The traceability to the source is fantastic. We can guarantee where our cashmere comes from,as we go there to visit them and drink milk with them in their tents and negotiate the price. It’s literally as hand-to-mouth as that.”Johnstonsproduces a staggering 350 tonnes of cashmere a year (plus around 60 tonnes of Merino);what’s more, though, is that the cashmere is not shavedbutcombed.“It’s just the excess of what they would naturally shed, so you can gauge a better understanding of how many animals it takes,”Scott says. In doing it this way, the handle is of a supreme, world-renowned quality.

In1949,James Johnston,thesecond-generation family ownerwho was an avid explorer and adventurer, made the first purchase of vicuña in the U.K. followingavisittoSouth America,wherehe witnessed for the first time the precious camelid. Two years later, Johnstons made the U.K.’s first purchase of cashmere at the Crystal Palacetextileexhibition while also exhibiting vicuña shawls. This is where the Johnstonscashmere story starts(prior to that it was millingestate tweeds and linens).

With experimentation and innovation at the forefront of production, bales of cashmere from Mongolia, China and Afghanistan arenowdelivered to the mill in Elgin,wherethe material iscardedanddyed—there aremore than7,500 colours to choose from—via four processes, the most popular one being fibre dyeing. It is thenspun into yarns before veering off in two directions.Eitheritcontinues through the mill and is woven intomyriad designs patterns,orit isdelivered to Hawick in the borders, where it’s knitted into jumpers, socks and other accessories, many of which are seamless for an unparalleled fit.

It’s in Hawick where a lot of innovationistaking place. Nick Bannerman, Johnstons’Managing Director,saystheyhave“been averaging about£3m worth of investment in the company each year, as some knitwear machines can cost up to£120,000 each”.Examples include ultra-fine 30-gauge whole-garment knitting machines for cashmere, cottons, silks and Merinos. Made by Shima Seiki in Japan, whoallowJohnstonsto test their prototypes before anyone else, they erase many of the stress points that normally come with knitwear. There’s the yarn store, which is a slick, tall network of technical storage systems that’s reducing footfall on-site while retaining jobs.That said, they’re still using four 50-year-old frame knitting machines that require 10 years of training to master. Machinery aside, therearethe design and training centresthatare linking local communities and future generations;many mills and factories have closed over the years, and theirex-employeesarewelcomed with open arms.

While Hawick is impressive,“the real magic”, as Scott says, takes place in Elgin,whereJohnstons havebeen based for thepast 200 years. Conjuring nostalgic feelings, it’s a beautiful, old-fashioned mill that’s dispersed across a fairly large site and fed by the River Lossie. It’s this water source that does wonders forJohnstons,with its natural properties creating the soft handlefor whichtheir productsareknown. Weeks after the company celebrated its 200-year anniversary, though, the mill was flooded with water.Itwasforced to close, and the cost of repairs totalled£33m.

The impressive archive, which dates back to 1797.

On the subject of innovative investments, Cottonsays:“In our woven mill in Elgin we have invested in three ultra-fine jacquard looms.These finer jacquard heads allow ustomake more defined jacquard patterns,which are perfect for re-creating the most beautiful hand-drawn artworks. Many people can’t believe the resulting products aren’t printed.”

While he was excited about the jacquard looms,Cottonreturns to the subject of Johnstons’employees.“It’s always wonderful to see the shiny new machines arrive and watch the designers create things which have never been created before,”he says.“However, the most significant investment and the most important one has been the vast commitment to learning and development across the whole organisation involving every single member of staff.”On July 1this year,Johnstonsbecame a member of the Living Wage Foundation, and as the British textile industry’s largest employer,the firmcertainlymakes a statement of intent towards its staff.

I ended my grand tour in Elgin. It was an enchanting experience. The loomswerein full swing,weaving forthe Johnstons brand and theirprivate-label clients. Itwas business as usual—just another day inJohnstons’221-year history.