Susie Lau

In 2013 I had the amazing opportunity to go up to Hawick in Scotland to visit legendary cashmere mill @barrie
It had just been effectively saved by @chanelofficial from financial collapse and they were lovingly making pieces from the Paris-Edinbourg collection (one of Karl’s finest IMO) with renewed pride
Barrie is of course now part of Chanel’s firm Metiers d’Art stable with its own brand bolstered by hit pieces like the “denim” cashmere jackets under the creative direction of @augustindolmaillot
I returned to Barrie a few weeks ago to discover their latest collaboration with @damienhirst but was also pleased to have this full circle moment with Clive Brown, a Barrie legend who has worked for the company for over 40 years and has just recently retired. The turnaround of fortunes for this cashmere métier, that could have completely disappeared, is really heartening to see.
There’ll be a part 2 delving into the making of the collab.