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Determined designer wins support of Outlander stars for weaving mill plan


By Hector MacKenzie

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Clare Campbell
Clare Campbell

THE Ross-shire woman behind a "tartan uprising" in the Highlands has vowed her dream to set up a new weaving industry in the county will not die following the failure of a crowdfunding campaign to hit the ambitious £500,000 target she set herself.

Designer Clare Campbell’s Build the Mill project, launched in October, centres on a disused Black Isle farm steading which she wants to use to bring weaving back to the Highlands to meet a global demand which would create new jobs and potentially pump millions into the local economy.

Her bid has already secured a number of high-profile backers and a fresh rallying cry around a secret Plan B has already been heard loud and clear by stars of the worldwide Highland hit Outlander, who have pledged to help lead the charge.

Ms Campbell, founder of the tartan design studio Prickly Thistle, launched her bold 60-day Kickstarter crowdfunding drive in October with backing from Scottish business heavyweight Sir Brian Souter who is impressed by the business plan, which he said could "redesign the tartan industry from the Highlands and restore the full manufacturing of the cloth to its birthplace".

Although the bid secured £148,000 worth of pledges from 853 backers in 26 countries, it failed to meet the full £500,000 target by the December 13 deadline, sending her back to the drawing board.

Undeterred, Ms Campbell used her Facebook page to thank backers and declare: "We’re not giving up! Plan B is coming, as Highland rebels never give up on what they know needs to be done."

Diana Gabaldon, creator of the TV hit Outlander has already declared her ongoing support for the project by tweeting: "Let us know how we can help! #Onward #PlanB"

Sam Heughan, the heart-throb star of the hugely popular time-travelling series is also upbeat, tweeting his support with just one word: "Onward!!!"

Ms Campbell is also challenging Scottish enterprise chiefs to do more to bring tartan weaving back to the Highlands and deliver on an ambitious textiles plan which aims to see exports worth £500 million heading overseas by 2020. It is estimated that in excess of £350 million is already exported.

The Scottish Enterprise 10-year plan aims to see the homespun textiles trade regarded globally as "truly world class" and recognised for its innovation and collaboration and as a career of choice for young people. It states: "We don’t want to be the biggest, we want to be the best."

The 10-year vision states: "We already have a great track record on the international stage but we want to encourage more global brands to source from Scotland and understand the rich diversity of what we have to offer. We want to collaborate, innovate, inspire and enthuse customers the world over to come to Scotland – the experts."

The thread running through the strategy emphasises "value not volume", which Ms Campbell believe fits her idea that small can be beautiful when it comes to scale and attempts to "re-shore" the industry to Scotland.

She said: "There is an international export opportunity for a modern innovative brand using 100 per cent native raw materials. My campaign scratched the surface on this – the world is looking for an ambitious new Scottish textiles brand without doubt."

Ms Campbell has pre-planning approval for her Black House Mill project near Resolis.

She used social media to tell supporters they will be kept informed about her Plan B and has secured further backing from Dingwall’s newly-opened community-owned Glen Wyvis distillery for which she has been invited to create a new tartan. It too was supported through a crowdfunding campaign, pulling in £3 million from thousands of backers.


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