What We do

and how we do it

We design it. We weave it. We make it.

Prickly Thistle is a textile mill and clothing maker based in the Scottish Highlands. We design our own tartans, weave our own cloth and turn it into clothing and products here in the Highlands.

We work with natural fibre yarns and traditional weaving skills, using our 100-year-old Dobcross looms alongside the people, tools and techniques needed to make things properly. We don't just want to sell you a finished garment — we want you to know who made it, where it came from and why we made it this way.

We believe making things matters.

We believe in keeping skills alive, making locally where we can, and knowing the people behind the things we buy and sell. We're reviving a lost domestic textile industry and bringing tartan back home to the Highlands.

We believe clothes should be made to be worn, loved and kept — not churned out cheaply and forgotten. That's why we design around natural fibres, longevity and zero-waste principles, while continually looking at how we can do better.

And we believe you have a right to know who, why, what and where when you buy something. That's why we're pretty open about our processes, our suppliers and what it actually takes to make the things we make.

Materials & Processes

Materials & Processes

We make the cloth. Then we make the clothes.

We make our own fabric at our Highland mill on Dobcross looms that are around 100 years old. They are slower than modern machinery and need more people to run them — and that's exactly why we keep them going. They help us keep textile skills alive, create skilled work and make cloth without churning through huge volumes.

We work primarily with natural-fibre yarns, including Scottish wool, and design our tartans and fabrics in-house. The yarn is prepared and dyed, then comes to our mill where it is pirned, creeled, warped and then woven into cloth. Once the cloth has been washed and finished, it comes back to us ready to cut and make into garments.

And we don't send our clothes off around the world to be assembled. Our sewing team cuts, pieces and makes the garments here too, with a final press and quality check before they leave us.

Sustainability & Zero Waste

Sustainability & Zero Waste

Make less. Waste less. Make it last.

For us, sustainability isn't just about what a fabric is made from. It's about how much we make, how we make it, how long it lasts and what happens to it afterwards.

Our designs start with the aim of using the cloth as intelligently as possible. Our zero-waste patterns are designed so the pieces fit together rather than leaving piles of scraps behind. And when there is fabric left over, we don't see it as rubbish — we look for another use for it.

We also make to order where we can. That means we're not making piles of clothing simply because we think someone might buy it. We make what is wanted, when it is wanted, and keep more of the value and making process here at the mill.

We also repair and reuse as much as possible at the mill, right down to Clare learning how to weld!

It's not about pretending we have a perfect supply chain. It's about knowing where things come from, asking questions, making better choices and continually working out how to waste less.

Where We Source From

We try and keep it simple and local.

When we need something, Scotland is our first port of call. If we can find a partner here, that's where we want to start — supporting local makers, keeping skills and industry alive and reducing the miles our materials have to travel.

Being close to our suppliers also means we can visit them. We can get to know the people behind what we buy, understand how they work and build relationships based on trust and shared values.

But we can't source everything in Scotland. Yet.

Some of the things we need simply aren't made here anymore, and we can't manufacture everything ourselves. So when something isn't available in Scotland, we follow the same principles and look as close to home as we can.

We're also interested in what comes next. We want to help regenerate the skills and industries that Scotland once had — but build them differently this time, with people and planet coming first.

Want to know who we work with?

Explore our Supply Chain Map below to discover more about us and our suppliers, partners, friends, allies and like minded souls that we are proud to support and work with!

Todd & Duncan

Yarn · Kinross, Scotland

  • Over 150 years of experience spinning and dyeing fine wool fibres.
  • Responsible Wool Standard (RWS) certified.
  • Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) certified.
  • Supply chain traceable to first-tier suppliers and locations.
  • Registered to the Good Cashmere Standard

Schofield Dyers & Finishers

Cloth finishing · Galashiels, Scotland

  • Established in 1958 and the last independent cloth finishers in Scotland.
  • Soil Association Organic certified for organic finishing.
  • Supply chain traceable to first-tier suppliers and locations.
  • National Living Wage employer.
  • No banned substances identified under the UKFT REACH Restricted Substances List.

Scottish Leather Group

Leather · Bridge of Weir, Scotland

  • Traditional Scottish leather manufacturer with a long history.
  • Over 98% of rawhides sourced from the UK and Ireland.
    Hides come from grass-fed, net-zero farms.
  • Certified to the highest level for animal welfare by the UN Food & Agriculture Organisation.
  • Process water is filtered and recycled, with by-products used to generate energy.

Jamiesons of Shetland

Worsted yarn · Shetland

  • Buys wool directly from local Shetland crofters.
  • Most Shetland wool is sourced within a 60-mile radius.
  • Unused wool can be re-spun into subsequent batches.
  • National Living Wage employer.
  • Supports local community initiatives across Shetland.

MBA Yarns

Worsted yarn · Bradford, England

  • Specialist manufacturer of worsted yarns.
  • Member of the Responsible Wool Standard and Responsible Mohair Standard.
  • Supply chain traceable to the primary source.
  • OEKO-TEX certified.
    95% recyclable packaging and on-site recycling.

ESC Packaging

Ribbon & biodegradable tissue · Inverkeithing, Scotland

  • Independent fourth-generation family business, established in 1978.
  • Focused on supporting manufacturers in Scotland and the UK.
  • Recycled and recyclable packaging options.
  • National Living Wage employer.
    Environmental, health & safety and modern slavery policies.