Avoca Handweavers
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Avoca Handweavers | |
|---|---|
| Type | Private |
| Founded | County Wicklow, Ireland (1723) |
| Headquarters | County Wicklow, Ireland Dublin, Ireland |
| Industry | Textile and Clothing manufacturing, Retail, Food and Cafes |
| Products | Clothes, other woolen goods, food, ceramics, books |
| Website | Avoca Handweavers |
Avoca Handweavers is a clothing manufacturing and retail business in the Republic of Ireland. Sited in Avoca, County Wicklow, it is the oldest working woollen mill in Ireland. It is also Ireland's oldest surviving business.
The story of Avoca Handweavers begins way back in 1723 when travel was very difficult from the village of Avoca in a beautiful isolated valley in the heart of County Wicklow on Ireland's east coast. A barter system prevailed and the mill was at the heart of a tiny rural community grinding corn for bread and spinning and weaving wool from local sheep for clothing and blankets. Making the most of its resources, the mill was built on the banks of the fast-flowing River Avoca from which it drew power with a water wheel.
In 1760 a new loom which greatly speeded up the weaving process came to the valley. The Fly Shuttle Loom, on which the shuttle on tiny wheels seemed literally to fly across the loom, could weave up to 20 meters of cloth a day. This caused riots by workers terrified of unemployment, culminating in loom burnings in some mills. The Fly Shuttle Looms, some of which are still used today by Avoca Handweavers, remain the fastest method of handweaving available.
In the 1920s three sisters, the Wynnes, inherited the mill, which had become run down. They injected new life into the enterprise, introducing colour from natural dyes. Soon they were selling their famous Avoca Handweavers tweeds all over the world, designing cloth for the Paris designer Elsa Schiaparelli, a waistcoat for King George VI and baby blankets for the children of Queen Elizabeth II.
In 1974, Donald Pratt, a solicitor engaged to handle the sale of the mill which now faced closure decided to buy it himself. Along with his wife, Hilary, a teacher, he set about getting Avoca Handweavers back on its feet. The mill at Avoca Village was soon humming again, as the Pratts began exporting handwoven rugs and throws first to the UK and then beyond.
Managed now by 2 generations of the Pratt family, Avoca continues to develop with several large retail outlets around Ireland, in Belfast, Northern Ireland and Annapolis, Maryland, USA. Many of these also have large foodhalls & cafes attached as their food operations expand . The Avoca Cafe Cooksbooks have proven to be popular bestsellers, these were inspired by Simon and Ivan Pratt.
The company has a number of women's clothing ranges which it sells through its own stores designed by the hugely talented Amanda Pratt, as well as wholesaling in Ireland and internationally. The best known of these is Avoca Anthology.
Avoca now also manages one of Ireland's most well known gardens at Mount Usher in Ashford, County Wicklow. The gardens are open to the public from March to October annually.
