Can The Doctor Rescue Harris Tweed?
Written by Wayne Hall on December 21, 2009 – 11:00 am -
The Doctor has rescued many a companion over the years, but before his first episode has even aired, the new Doctor, played by Matt Smith, is being called on to save a longstanding line of clothes—jackets by Harris Tweed, according to the Daily Record.
Smith’s Doctor will sport a Harris Tweed jacket as part of his regular outfit when he debuts in 2010.
With production at a record low, the Harris Tweed Authority (HTA) has asked permission from the BBC to produce a line of Doctor Who tweed coats. Only 500,000 yards were produced in 2009 compared to 6.6 million yards in its heyday of 1966. Only 130 weavers and 55 mill workers are left in the industry.
Lorna Macaulay, chief executive of the HTA, said Doctor Who will help “sex up” the image of Harris Tweed and make it more trendy.
“I have written to the BBC about possibly doing a Doctor Who range,” she said. “We need to get a firm handle on exactly the type of tweed Matt is wearing and establish if it is still in stock.”
“This offers a great opportunity for Harris Tweed,” Macaulay said. “A young, trendy Doctor wearing Harris Tweed will help make it popular in that younger age range.”
However, not everyone likes Smith’s choice of costume. One fashion expert described his choice as making him look like “Indiana Jones’ geekier nephew.” Andrew Groves, fashion course director at the University of Westminster, said that the outfit was unflattering.
Still, the HTA remains undaunted, also looking at enlisting a number of celebrities who wear Harris Tweed — including Madonna and Gwyneth Paltrow — to help save the industry.
They point out that Tom Hanks wore a Harris Tweed jacket in The Da Vinci Code, Paltrow and Madonna’s ex-husband Guy Ritchie are keen devotees, and football legend Kenny Dalglish and his wife Marina are investors and international ambassadors for Harris Tweed Hebrides.
According to the BBC, however, Smith’s jacket is “vintage Harris Tweed,” but just who made it is unknown.
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- New Doctor Who Logo Launched
- Tennant Saddened By Final Doctor Who Episodes
Tags: BBC, Doctor Who, Harris Tweed, Harris Tweed Authority, Matt Smith, Tom Hanks
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