What's the difference between harris tweed and herringbone fabric?

Question

What's the difference between harris tweed and herringbone fabric?

Answer 1

Genuine Harris Tweed is manufactured to strict tolerances in Scotland.

Herringbone fabric is just a design type, you can have herringbone silk or cotton, you can also of course have Harris Tweed in a herringbone pattern.

Look for the "Harris Tweed" label on any material.

Answer 2

Herringbone is a broken twill weave, not a fabric... many different fabrics can be woven with the herringbone pattern, in cotton, wool, silk, etc,

http://www.nelsonwade.com/images/shirt_s...

The diagonal stripes that reverse every small distance to make a lengthwise stripe is the characteristic that makes a herringbone weave.

Harris tweed is a brand name of wool fabric that is handwoven and (usually naturally) dyed,

made by islanders of Harris, Lewis, Barra and Uist.  It's considered to be very high quality and hard wearing, though the wool used is rather coarse and prickly.  Makes excellent overcoats, etc.

http://www.harristweed.com/what_is.htm

Answer 3

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harris_Twee...

http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-herringb...

Or in Short:

Harris Tweed (Clò Mór or Clò na Hearadh in Gaelic), is a luxury cloth that has been handwoven by the islanders on the Isles of Harris, Lewis, Uist and Barra in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland, using local wool.

Traditional Harris Tweed was characterized by subtle flecks of color achieved through the use of vegetable dyes, including the lichen dyes called "crottle" (Parmelia saxatilis and Parmelia omphalodes which give deep red- or purple-brown and rusty orange respectively).[1] These lichens are the origin of the distinctive scent of older Harris Tweed.[2]

and

The term “herringbone” is used to refer to a distinctive pattern which appears in masonry, clothing design, and parquetry. The pattern has been used for hundreds of years, especially in Europe. It can be difficult to make the elements of a herringbone pattern line up. As a result, creating things with a herringbone pattern is usually limited to skilled craftsmen if the pattern has to be created entirely by hand. The advent of modular systems for things like brickwork and flooring has made herringbone easier, and therefore more common.

The pattern consists of very short rows of slanted parallel lines. The rows are oriented in opposition to each other, causing the slanted lines to form a dense pattern of chevrons, with each slant meeting up at the end with a slant going in the opposite direction. The pattern is named for the herring fish, which is famous for being rather densely bony. Depending on personal taste, a herringbone pattern may be made with different colors or textures to make the lines stand out, or it may be left subtle and simple.

Clothing produced with a herringbone pattern is usually intended for use as an outer layer. Tweed, a fabric well known in England, is often produced with a herringbone pattern. Tweed is a coarse woolen cloth which is worn as an outer layer. The wool makes tweed highly insulating, and also resists water so that the garment can be worn outdoors for activities like hunting and shooting. Twill fabric is also produced with a herringbone pattern, in which the alternating lines are often ribbed, creating a raised pattern.