Clan MacAulay International Bringing Our People Together MacAulay Matters March 2019 In this issue: The Harris Tweed Project The Harris Tweed Project In 2018 the Isle of Harris Distillers Ltd. launched The Harris Tweed Project. I’ve been Meet P3 student Ethan MacAulay following this project with great interest as I’m completely smitten with Harris Tweed, its history and the traditions. And yes, there is a MacAulay connection … Fashion Designer Hope Macaulay Artist Tom McAulay In their Journal, the Isle of Harris Distillery explain the project. “We're inviting the young people from across the Outer Hebrides to join us in creating a very special Kathleen O’Reilly’s Robbie Burns Harris Tweed of our own, the Isle of Harris Distillery Tweed to be launched in 2019. As Celebration part of an island-wide collaboration with local schools, we've joined with the Harris Spotlight on: Tweed Authority, the industry governing body, and Harris Tweed Hebrides, the • Member Aileen McCauley foremost Harris Tweed producer in the UK, to launch a special competition to design Killen the final pattern.” • Commissioner Bud In collaboration with the Harris Tweed Authority and Harris Tweed Hebrides, they ran MacAulay Lush a series of workshops for the students and received over 150 entries for consideration • Executive Committee as the Isle of Harris Distillery Tweed! Although there are undoubtedly many who Member Mark MacAulay submitted with MacAulay roots, Sean MacAulay and Ethan MacAulay , both of whom MacAulay DNA Project Update are in P3 at Leverhulme Memorial School, remained after the field was narrowed to 34 submissions. Our congratulations to the Isle of Harris Distillery for its determination to Toronto’s Great Canadian Kilt expand interest in a great Hebridean tradition and to all of the students for their Skate submissions. NZ Scottish Heritage Council What is it about Harris Tweed that is so important to the people of the Hebrides? The Upcoming Highland Games Guardians of the Orb, the Harris Tweed Authority, explains its history and heritage. The 2019 Aviemore Gathering “From time immemorial, the inhabitants of the Outer Hebrides of Scotland have woven a beautiful and intricate cloth the world knows simply as HARRIS TWEED. The Robbie Burns Night islanders of Lewis, Harris, Uist and Barra produce this luxury cloth entirely by hand and MacAulay Photos have long been known for the excellence of their weaving. With tweed gaining in Your Executive Committee popularity it soon became clear that steps would have to be taken to protect the good name of HARRIS TWEED from imitations from elsewhere seeking to cash in on the island’s success story. In 1909, a company was formed under the title The Harris This is your newsletter. We Tweed Association Limited to ensure the grant of a new trademark and an application welcome interesting stories was filed to register the well-known HARRIS TWEED Orb and Maltese Cross with the and pictures. No limits to words HARRIS TWEED underneath.” your creativity! It’s about sharing everything MacAulay. A beautiful fabric born of a proud Hebridean tradition. Who were the 5 finalists? Keep reading to find out … MacAulay Matters Editor JPM Meet Ethan MacAulay, Finalist, The Harris Tweed Project On February 1st the Harris Tweed Distillery announced the 5 finalists of The Harris Tweed Project. Congratulations to Ethan Macaulay (P3) - Leverhume Memorial School, Kate Macleod (P6) - Sgoil Nan Loch, Abby Burley (P7) - Laxdale Primary, Neil Morrison (S3) - Sir E Scott School and Scott Murray (S3) - Sir E Scott School. Ethan’s mother Jenny MacAulay very kindly had Ethan answer our MacAulay Matters questions so we could learn more about his journey during The Harris Tweed Project. Ethan, tell us a bit about yourself. I am 7 years old and I’m in primary 3. I am in the Gaelic medium class in Leverhulme Memorial School. I like going to football club and going pony trekking. Ethan, what inspired you to become involved in this project? My class teachers Mrs Mackenzie and Miss MacDonald told us about the tweed project. Schools in Harris and Lewis took part. Tell us about the workshop. The workshop was fun. They showed us how the tweed is made, I thought it was cool and helped me designing my tweed. What was the inspiration for your tweed design? I chose the colours for my tweed because they remind me of things to do with the distillery and Harris. I chose red for the fire (the distillery has a peat fire!), brown for wood/peat because there is wood in the distillery and because local people cut peat for their fires and grey for the rocks that we have in our landscape. How excited were you when your design was narrowed down to the final 34 and then the final 5? I was really happy when my mum told me my design was picked and I was really excited and shocked when she told me again that I was in the final 5. Is tweed design something you see as a part of your future? It was really fun to see the tweed being made and to make our own designs but I don’t think I will be a designer when I grow up. I would like to be a lorry driver! Tell us about your branch of the MacAulays. My great-great-grandfather was a MacAulay from Grosebay in the Bays of Harris. Photos courtesy of Ethan, the Clan MacAulay Association, its executive, commissioners and members wish you Leverhulme Memorial and the other contributors the best of luck! School. Meet Northern Ireland’s Emerging Fashion Designer Hope Macaulay Hope, you’re considered one of the top emerging fashion designers in Northern Ireland and beyond. How did you get your beginning? I always loved art and design at school, and I also always loved fashion and textiles. All of my projects were drawings, mixed media textiles and ceramics of fashion accessories such as shoes and head pieces. I especially loved creating ceramic sculptures of shoes! How did you get your professional start? I studied an Art and Design foundation course at the University for the Creative Arts, Epsom then I studied a BA Hons degree in Fashion Textiles: Print at the University for the Not a member of Clan Creative Arts, Rochester. I MacAulay? also did a few internships with Gareth Pugh and Click here to join! Roberta Einer. At Roberta Einer is were I found my love for beading! Not everyone gets to design a catwalk collection. Tell us about your Meet university catwalk collection. My final catwalk collection that I created at university is called “A Surreal Northern Rome”, inspired by my fascination with illusions and hallucinations and also the art, history and myths of Rome. I mixed these ideas together and that is Ireland’s what created the inspiration for my collection. Emerging Fashion Designer Hope Macaulay Want to see more? Watch In my final collection at University, I knew I wanted to include all of Hope’s 2018 my skills so I created ceramic London Fashion embellishments called the Week Debut ‘A mythical beings. Surreal Rome’ How have you been promoting your gorgeous designs? After graduating from university I continued to promote my collection on social media which gained interest from stylists, bloggers and people in the fashion industry. I was asked by Fashions Finest if I would like to show my collection with them during London Fashion Week and of course I went for it! It was a great experience and I made a lot of contacts. After the show it was very overwhelming as people were wanting to interview me and take photos with me! My garments are always being loaned out for photoshoots and events etc. - Meet it’s hard to keep up! A few bloggers wore my garments to London Fashion Week shows in February 2019 and they caught the attention of a lot of Northern magazines - including Vogue! Harper Silin wearing my knitted jumper and dress was listed as the best street style from London Fashion Week by Vogue Ireland’s so that was amazing. I was so pleased! Emerging Hope, you’ve received a number of accolades. Tell us about your reaction. It was great to be listed as one of the top 50 people to watch in 2019 by the Fashion Irish Times and I think it made people take me a bit more seriously! Another amazing experience I had just last month was meeting the Duke and Duchess Designer of Cambridge at a party celebrating the achievements of young people and entrepreneurs in Northern Ireland! I was so lucky to have the chance of being Hope there but even luckier to have the opportunity to talk to Katherine about me and my brand. It is really amazing to get the recognition and to know that my Macaulay hard work has paid off. What’s next for you? I have also released a ready-to-wear collection this year, which is a more wearable collection inspired by my catwalk collection. It is available to buy online on my online shop www.hopemacaulay.com. I also do custom and bespoke orders. Hope, congratulations on your tremendous achievements in the world of fashion. We wish you continued success in your fantastic design journey! www.hopemacaulay.com Meet Australian Artist Sincere thanks to Tom McAulay Jane Caraffi of Art Born and raised in tropical Innisfail in Far North Queensland, Australia Tom was on Cairncross who the fourth of eight children who were encouraged to draw and paint from a very arranged for this young age. His youngest brother Cary and Tom are both professional artists.