Early November, a remarkable event celebrating tweed unfolded amidst the beautiful scenery of the Scottish Highlands. Organised by photographer and author Jamie Ferguson, in collaboration with John Sugden of Campbell's of Beauly and Matt Hranek from WM Brown, the gathering welcomed 24 distinguished guests from the menswear community.
Set against a backdrop of classic cars, elegant tweed suits, and the finest Scotch whisky, the weekend was a tribute to timeless style and craftsmanship.
Ettinger was delighted to participate in this unique occasion by gifting some of our Capra 6oz Leather Bound Hip Flasks to the attendees.
Join us as we delve into the story behind The WM Brown Tweed Rally and the mind of Jamie Ferguson who brought it to life.
What inspired you to come up with the idea for this rally?
"John, Matt and myself had been talking about doing something this for over a year or so. I shoot a lot of campaigns for Campbell's of Beauly and we were often travelling the North Coast 500 which is a beautiful route around the Scottish Highlands. We thought it would be fun to get a bunch of likeminded individuals, in some vintage cars and the idea basically grew from here."
What was the goal of this event?
"I guess there were a few here; showcasing tweed in its natural environment, creating some great editorial and brand content for the various brands and publications that were involved, and at the end of the day, having a bit of fun! Everybody who participated understood the assignment resulting in a really relaxed and enjoyable environment where, hopefully, everyone had a good time."
How did you select the creators and brands that participated?
"We knew where we wanted to host and shoot the event so it was relatively straightforward to go from there. Tweed was obviously going to feature heavily being the north of Scotland in November, a whisky brand was a no brainer, and we knew that our guests were going to need to be kitted out of the nines so it was easy to tick the tailors box. Everything else just sort of fell into place from there."
What factors influenced your choice of the highlands as the setting for this rally?
"Having driven those roads with John and Matt before, particularly at that time of the year, we knew that the colours and landscapes were going to be sensational and really contribute to the overall aesthetic of the event itself."
What was the highlight of your trip?
"Excuse the cheese but I'm lucky enough to have worked extensively with a lot of the guests we invited along, so much so that those working relationships have turned into friendships. So to be able to essentially gather 24 friends together in an amazing backdrop like the Scottish Highlands, and to have partnered with a hotel like The Torridon, who's team were exceptional during the Rally, I couldn't have asked for more. It's like on of those 'pinch me' moments where you look around and are extremely grateful that this is what you get to do for a living."
Do you envision organising similar events in the future?
"Haha! I certainly hope so. I don't think I can even contemplate that as it still feels like the dust is settling from this one! This Rally took so much work and organisation to get off the ground but having now gotten one under the belt, it should hopefully mean that it's a little more straight forward next time. It would be great to take the format to other locations like France or Italy, so fingers crossed!"
The WM Brown Tweed Rally was sponsored by Campbell's of Beauly, Harris Tweed Hebrides, Fox Brothers, The Torridon Hotel, J.Mueser, The Dalmore, Serica Watches, Globetrotter, Ettinger, The Anthology, William Crabtree and Sons, Isle of Harris Distillers, Champagne Brimancourt, J.C. Newman Cigar Co and Highland Classic Car Hire.