A uniquely Scottish art form that has been handmade in the Shetland Isles for nearly 400 years, Fair Isle sweaters were made the height of fashion by Prince Edward VIII at the turn of the 20th century. Last year fashion editors identified the Fair Isle sweater as one of the top trends to own subsequently fostering a sudden resurgence in popularity. Luxury goods purveyors might have the ‘alleged’ cachet of a designer label but their pieces are made in Italy or the Far East and fail to reflect the full expression of the art requiring over 100 hours of patient expertise to complete. What’s more purchasing those garments adversely affects the sustainability of this unique element of Scotland’s heritage as well as the Shetland economy. All the participating women have been knitting since the age of four. Rosabell Halcrow, the first woman to become part of Thistle & Broom’s Fair Isle Knitting Project, has recently been joined by Agnes Bowie, Helen Jamieson, Jackie Irvine and Thomasina Irvine - more Fair Isle hand knitters are expected to join as word of mouth spreads through the rural community. “Today, what the consumer is generally buying is a Fair Isle style knock-off that’s machine knit. To the uneducated Fair Isle is simply a style of knitting, but this is one of Scotland’s most unique pieces of intellectual property. The crime of it is that these talented women were still being paid about 50 pence an hour until we launched our Fair Isle Knitting Project. Using the Fair Trade movement as a business model 2/3’s of our retail price and all shipping costs go directly into the knitters’ bank account when Thistle & Broom receives an order. How many bespoke services take only a 33% mark-up on their product offerings?,”says Teresa Fritschi, Managing Director of Thistle & Broom. “Participating in these two best in class events is a wonderful opportunity to showcase a small portion of the extraordinary Scottish products offered by Thistle & Broom as well as create positive economic impact for our trading partners.”

“Thistle & Broom offers the real deal, authentic hand knit Fair Isle of Shetland yarns created by women in their seventies and eighties,” said Michelle Miller, Director of the BBC America Great British Bus Tour. “In an attempt to preserve this piece of Scotland’s heritage Thistle & Broom has set upon a path to educate the public about this art form. We share Thistle & Broom’s commitment to preserving the unique cultural heritage of Scotland. Clearly we’re delighted to support Thistle & Broom’s effort through our cross country road trip.”