Harris Tweed, A Letter to the Prime Minister, and the Week the Documentary Began

Some weeks have a single thread running through them one theme that ties everything together. This wasn't one of those weeks. This week was grief and growth sitting side by side, quiet canal water and a product launch, a factory visit and a letter to Downing Street. It was a lot. Here's all of it, honestly.

Wednesday to Friday, Three Days With the Documentary Crew

We had Ollie and Mike with us from Wednesday through to Friday three full days of filming for the Lockwood documentary, as well as content for the upcoming restocks that will see every product back in stock simultaneously for the first time in company history. That's coming late August into September, and we're building towards it properly.

The filming covered a lot of ground. We got strong footage of the Falklands Smock out in the field, a piece that means more to me with every passing week, particularly after sitting with Phil the Falklands veteran recently. We shot the Vintage Henry Boiled Wool Gilet with James Martin, who came down on Friday more on that in a moment. And on Thursday, Hannah from Forty & Co who runs all of our digital space came to spend the day at Lockwood HQ for a sit-down interview for the documentary, before we got some product shots done of the new Ladies' Trench Coat together.

That trench coat. More on that below too.

Wednesday Evening, Ruth's Grandmother

On Wednesday, Ruth got word that her grandmother's health had taken a rapid turn. We talked it through and the answer was simple she needed to get to Ireland as fast as possible. Flights were booked that day.

That evening, her grandmother passed away peacefully.

Ruth flew out the following morning and spent a few days with her dad and two uncles organising things, being together as a family, and saying her final goodbyes. I'm proud of how she handled it, and I'm grateful she got there to say her goodbyes.

There's not a great deal more to say about it in a business blog, and I'm not sure there should be. Some things belong to the people involved. But Ruth is the other half of what Lockwood is, and her week deserves to be acknowledged here.

Thursday, The Lifeguards Polo Top Arrives, and Goes Live

On Thursday, we took receipt of the first order of the Lifeguards polo tops and Hannah was with us to make sure everything was in place for the midday launch. All-maroon, clean, considered, and drawing on the colours of the Household Division in which I served for over fifteen years.

The Lifeguards polo top went live at noon. Early access had already gone to the mailing list if you're not on it yet, that's the place to be for every future drop.

And for those asking about the British Harlequin polo tops our fastest-selling product ever preorders are open and moving fast. XL sold out in the first run. Don't sit on it.

Friday, James Martin, the Factory, and Suki

James Martin came to see us on Friday, and we headed over to the factory together. Pav who runs the factory floor and has been with us from the very beginning was on his honeymoon with Tanya, but his dad Suki was there, and it was genuinely brilliant to see him and James in conversation about the future of the company. Suki has watched this brand grow from the factory floor up, and having him meet one of the people helping to shape what comes next felt like a moment worth marking.

After Ollie and Mike wrapped up for the weekend and headed off, James and I went for an Indian at what is fast becoming our favourite restaurant in the area Soho Oak in West Bromwich. If you're ever in that part of the world, go. The food, the service, the value exceptional, every time.

The Ladies' Trench Coat — A Promise Kept

At the Royal Windsor Horse Show earlier this year, Princess Anne asked us whether we'd ever consider producing a trench coat. We noted it. We didn't forget it.

This week, the sample arrived from our manufacturer a wedding present from them to us, as it turned out, which was a thoughtful touch. The Ladies' Trench Coat is not live yet, but it's coming. And when it does, it'll be everything you'd expect from a Lockwood piece made properly, in Britain, with no shortcuts.

Watch this space.

The Weekend — Canoes, Cows, and the Second City

After the week we'd had, me and Ruth needed something quiet. So we took to the canals our two canoes, no agenda, just water and fresh air. Peaceful doesn't quite cover it. Until we came around a bend and found a small herd of cows that had broken out of their field and were standing contentedly at the water's edge, chomping through the greenery in the shade. Not something you see every day, even on the Black Country canal network.

We also made our first proper trip into Birmingham which, bearing in mind we've been living in the Black Country since May, tells you everything you need to know about how busy this year has been. The Second City has been on the doorstep since spring. We finally made it in. It won't be the last time.

On Sunday, we drove over to see my brother and his family something that, despite them being just over an hour away, we genuinely haven't had the chance to do properly since the move. Life has been that full. It was good to just sit with family for a bit.

The Harris Tweed — A Moment at the Factory

This one deserves its own paragraph.

On Friday at the factory, we saw the first hundred metres of our own Harris Tweed delivered direct from Harris Tweed Hebrides, each length bearing the Orb stamp of authenticity. A hundred metres of certified, handwoven-in-the-Outer-Hebrides British cloth, in our factory in Birmingham, destined for the hoods of the Vintage Arthur and Vintage Henry smocks and the collars of the Vintage Arthur and Vintage Henry Boiled Wool gilets.

I stood next to it and just looked at it for a moment. It's a long way from a first sale in September 2024.

A Letter to the Prime Minister

I'll finish with this, because I think it matters.

This week I saw photographs of the Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, wearing a private white overcoat and I saw people criticising him for it. Criticising him for wearing expensive, well-made clothes. And I found myself thinking that the entire conversation was backwards.

I wrote him a letter.

My view is simple: the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom should look the part. He should wear the best. He should be championing British industry, British manufacturing, British craft wearing it, being seen in it, making it aspirational. That is not extravagance. That is exactly what this country needs right now.

I extended an open invitation to visit our factory in Birmingham. The door is open.

What's Coming

The Lifeguards polo top is live now. Harlequin preorders are moving. The trench coat is on the way. Harris Tweed is in the building. The documentary is being made.

And the big September restock everything in stock, simultaneously, for the first time in company history is getting closer every week.

We're building this properly. One week at a time.

God bless, God save the King.

Jacob Lockwood