Share Warmth with the Tartan Blanket Co

HI EMMA & FERGUS, PLEASE INTRODUCE YOURSELVES AND TELL US A BIT ABOUT YOUR BRAND.

Hi we are Emma & Fergus the co-founders of The Tartan Blanket Co. With our amazing team at our studio in Leith, Edinburgh we design and sell a range of sustainable recycled wool, lambswool and cashmere blankets, baby blankets and scarves. The Tartan Blanket Co. is all about creating beautiful, natural products which would bring warmth to people’s hearts and homes, as well as having a truly positive impact on the world around us. As well as running this creative small business we are also parents to 3 wonderful little girls, who definitely keep us on our toes and fill our world with a lot of joy and chaos! 

TAKE US BACK TO THE START OF THE TARTAN BLANKET CO AND TELL US HOW YOUR BUSINESS HAS EVOLVED OVER TIME. 

We are both from Edinburgh originally and actually met while studying at Edinburgh University. We then moved down to London for a few years to pursue our careers and passions and see what London had to offer. However, we quickly realised our hearts and loved ones remained up north, so we set about planning our new life back home in Edinburgh. It was actually just following our wedding on our mini-moon drive up to Skye (one of our favourite places in Scotland), that we started talking about what our dream business would look like and The Tartan Blanket Co. was born. Although, like everything truly great, it wasn’t quite that easy. What followed was many years of hard work, learning about weaving and wool sourcing, travelling the world for the right manufacturing partners and many, many mistakes along the way, but also many wonderful moments, which have made us the brand, company and team we are today. From selling our first blanket online a little over 5 years ago, to now being stocked in Liberty, Harvey Nichols and many wonderful boutiques worldwide, it has been quite a journey. We are also very grateful to have some of the most loyal and kind customers you could ask for. It makes us so proud to read through our amazing reviews or when someone gets in touch to say how one of our blankets brought so much comfort and joy to a loved one or that they were able to wrap their new grandchild in one of our soft baby blankets, especially at the moment when they can’t always be there to give them the hug they long to.

WHAT IS THE ETHOS OF YOUR BUSINESS? 

We have always focused on bringing joy and comfort to those who shop with us, but earlier this year we also made the commitment to being a truly positive impact company. Working with wool, a natural material with amazing properties, and trusted manufacturing partners who focus on sustainability and animal and workers wellbeing, has always been a core to how we operate and who we are as a business. However, this year we have taken our commitment further and are now donating 1% of all revenue to help people in need and 1% to help the planet. We love the fact that our positive impact is now ingrained into each and every customer purchase so as we grow as a business, so too will our positive impact. 

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR STYLE AND WHERE DO YOU TAKE INSPIRATION FROM? 

I would love to say I was a minimalist, as I love that style so much, but I think it’s time to admit to myself that I am truly more of a maximalist. Apart from the fact that minimalism does not go well with 3 young kids, I am also a magpie for anything fun and I love a touch of gold! I think my previous career as a fashion buyer really developed my love of clothes and fashion (and depleted my finances). Although I feel like the last couple of years I have really tried to focus on buying less and buying better, so I try to invest in key pieces I know I will get a lot of wear out of and love forever!

WHAT IS THE PROCESS BEHIND MAKING YOUR TARTAN SCARVES AND BLANKETS? 

The process first begins at our studio in Leith, Edinburgh. The design team will come up with some amazing ideas and colours they have been inspired by. Often these concepts are tied into Scotland and we will do trips to explore new areas such as the V&A in Dundee or The Water of Leith. But we also look to the new fashion and home trends emerging from countries around the world and listen to feedback from our lovely customers, as they often have the best insight and know our products really well. Then there are a number of creative conversations between design, buying and marketing to develop a range plan which we feel our customers will enjoy and fit with their own style and home design. 

The designs are then sent off to our manufacturing partners for dying, spinning and then weaving.

We are super proud of the partners we work with and the relationships we have with them. Both partners are, like us, family run companies. Our partners in India use all the discarded woolen textiles which are shipped to India every year, to weave up our amazingly soft and durable recycled wool blankets. The process is amazing, using heat from the sun, existing textile dyes, adding fibres created from other recycled products to strengthen the broken fibres and hand rolled fringes by a predominantly female workforce. You can find out more about the process on our website or on our IGTV stories. 

With our partners in Mongolia, we use only Mongolian farmed lambswool and cashmere. The farming techniques in Mongolia are much more traditional than many developed countries where machinery and efficiency take priority over animal welfare. The wool is farmed in a local farming community in Mongolia where it is then dyed, spun and woven in the same region. Wool farming and weaving is a key industry in Mongolia and those who work within it are highly skilled and valued. 

We have a really strong relationship with our partners, with some even bringing their families over to visit us in Edinburgh. We really look forward to when our girls are a bit older, so we can take them out to meet everyone and show them the journey of our blankets.

WE LOVE THAT YOU HAVE THE OPTION TO PURCHASE A RECYCLED WOOL BLANKET OR SCARF, CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT THESE? 

These blankets are honestly amazing! We take used and discarded woolen items and turn them into something so useful and beautiful. They are super hard-wearing using a really tight weave, due to the very short fibres as they have been broken down from their previous life as jumpers and socks. They are also surprisingly soft and super cosy with all the benefits of wool, such as being heat regulating, antibacterial and breathable to name but a few! We have a number of these blankets in our house and use them for picnics on the beach, wrapping up in on the sofa for movie nights, on the girls’ beds for extra layers and Alfie our dog even has his own one to sleep on. I’ll actually let you in on a secret, after much customer demand, we will soon be releasing recycled pet blankets! They also wash super well in the machine and actually get fluffier with each wash! They are honestly one of those essential items you never knew you needed until you get one and realise how much you love it!

DO YOU HAVE A CURRENT FAVOURITE PRODUCT OR LINE OF PRODUCTS? 

We recently launched a range of gift boxes which have been such a success, offering people the ability to send a bit of love and comfort from afar. It is a strange time right now so I think being able to pick a blanket or scarf to wrap a loved one in, then selecting some other lovely treats you know they will love, such as chocolate, bath salts or cashmere bed socks, makes a really special gift. I have sent many of these over the last few months to loved ones who I wish I could give a hug to and adding embroidery makes it super special, to send them a hug with their name on (quite literally)! 

WHERE ARE YOU BASED? AND WHERE WOULD YOU RECOMMEND TO PEOPLE VISITING IN YOUR AREA? 

We are based in Leith, Edinburgh but we actually live in Portobello by the sea. We love both these areas and rarely venture out from the East side of Edinburgh. Some of our favourite spots are Portobello beach for fish and chips after a summer evening walk, or a brisk swim in the North Sea! The Skylark is one of my favourite cafés in Portobello and you will often find me working there when I have a couple of childfree hours. Twelve Triangles is also an amazing café and bakery. We are very lucky that Leith is such a hub for good food and drink spots. Some of our favourites are; Borough (definitely our most visited restaurant last year), The Little Chartroom (we haven’t actually been as it’s so hard to get a table but it is top of our list to go), Bodega (the best chicken wings and margaritas), The Kilted Donut (crazy good donuts), Razzos (Proper Italian Pizza) and Nauticus for amazing cheese, wine and cocktails. We are also very lucky to have so many wonderful walks on our doorstep and love venturing to different beaches and towns in East Lothian at the weekend. Also you can’t visit Edinburgh and not go to Mary’s Milkbar for ice cream, Civerino’s for pizza and Bramble for a cocktail. 

CAN YOU SHARE YOUR CURRENT FAVOURITE INDEPENDENT SCOTTISH BUSINESSES THAT YOU WOULD RECOMMEND CHECKING OUT? 

Since starting our gift boxes which include many Scottish made products, it has been wonderful to meet and work with so many wonderful independent Scottish businesses. Some of our favourites are; Dook Soaps, Bare Bones Chocolate, Ocelot Chocolate, Shortbread House, Essence of Harris, Isle of Skye Candle Company, Pittenweem Chocolate and Our Lovely Goods. Some other very stylish Scottish designers and stores we really admire are Karen Mabon, Life Story, Pad Lifestyle, Style Your Spaces and The Good Store.