A Moray cashmere specialist founded more than 200 years ago has opened the doors of its first flagship store in London’s fashionable West End.
Family firm Johnstons of Elgin, established in 1797, launched its New Bond Street shop yesterday.
Eight staff have been employed to work there, including Elgin-born Hannah Swann, who had a Saturday job at the business as schoolgirl.
A further three roles in warehouse support and merchandising have also been created.
Jenny Houldsworth, a fourth generation family member, said the project had been “218 years in the making”.
The non-executive director and manager, who cut the ribbon helped by her two young children, said: “It feels very right for us to be here. It’s a huge step and it’s very exciting for everybody involved.
“We have thousands of craftsmen and women working around Scotland – to have their products displayed here for this very discerning footfall makes everybody feel hugely proud. It’s motivational too.”
The shop interior, the work of design consultants Checkland Kindleysides, has been decorated to evoke the spirit of the mills in Elgin and Hawick.
A homage to the yarn, even the hangers displaying the scarves and jackets are inspired by strands of wool.
And a herringbone pattern carpet runs along the length of the upstairs level, before descending through a hole in the floor to a loom downstairs.
Ms Houldsworth said: “The shop itself, the way it has been finished, is very respectful to the craftsmanship but still relevant for 2015.
“This is as authentic as it gets in terms of textile manufacturing in the UK. There is no other company that does all this – from the fibre to the finished article – in the one place.”
The walls are adorned with photos chronicling the firm’s history, in which her great-grandfather Eddie Harrison.
He took over the business in 1920 and the logo – composed of a J, a thistle and a bee – is based on a drawing of his from the 1930s.
Ms Houldsworth said her ancestor would be immensely proud to see the brand thriving and trading in the English capital, a place with which it has many historical links.
In 1851, Johnstons of Elgin won an award for “superb vicuna shawls” at the Great Exhibition in Hyde Park and its first bale of cashmere came from London.
Additionally, its wholesale operation has been based in Westminster for several years and will transfer to the new site.
Retail managing director George McNeil insisted the significance of the opening could not be overstated in terms of the globalisation of the brand.
He said: “Johnstons of Elgin is 218 years old. The directors are looking to put in place foundations that will continue the business for another couple of hundred years.”
Chief executive Simon Cotton said the London store was an important milestone as it offered the chance to give customers a taste of what the firm represents in an area where shoppers from around the world come to see British heritage brands.
“That combination of having one foot in London and one in Elgin is really wonderful,” he added.
“We have got all the wonderful things that come with the Moray location but we get that energy and buzz and inspiration from the fashion capitals.”