Donegal Tweed

A familiar cloth.
An unexpected turn.

Donegal tweed is a wool cloth from County Donegal, in the north-west of Ireland, and you know it by its fleck: small flecks of colour spun into the yarn before it is woven. From across a room a jacket reads as navy or brown. Come closer and other shades break through the surface.

We love the reassuring weight of tweed and the feeling of a jacket you can throw over almost anything. We also love what happens when that familiar cloth is given a little room to play. A shoulder becomes more generous. A hem swings away from the body. A bow appears where you least expect it.

Ardara, in colour

Our Donegal tweed is woven by Molloy & Sons in Ardara, in Ireland's Atlantic north-west. Every piece of Donegal tweed we make is cut from their cloth.

The Molloy family's work in textiles reaches back six generations to the nineteenth century. Their yarns are spun and dyed locally; colour matching, design, warping and weaving take place in-house. The sea, hills and changing sky around them inform the colours they bring to the loom.

We choose the cloth for that depth as much as its warmth. A plain weave or the slant of a herringbone gives Amy something different to work with, a texture that remains interesting through a fold, a generous shoulder or the sweep of a coat. This season that includes Twinkle Tweed, a textured gold, and Candlelight, a cream Donegal tweed with small shimmers woven through it.

The Shawl in Mourne Tweed

Irish tweed,
from County Down

Autumn Winter 26 brings a second Irish tweed into the house: cloth woven by Mourne Textiles in County Down, in the north-east. It is Irish tweed rather than Donegal tweed, and we name it that way. You will find it in the Locking Up Jacket, our take on the barn jacket, and in The Shawl, which falls from the shoulders in a generous, poncho-like shape, lined in Irish linen.

Read the Kept for Good story

Off Duty Joggers in black; The Shawl in Mourne Tweed

Borrowed from grandad

For Amy, these are the possibilities in Donegal tweed: a cloth with history and enough character to take on a new shape. Our Tweed Jacket shows what we mean.

The starting point was the feeling of borrowing your grandad's jacket: the weight across your shoulders, the room inside it, the ease of something a little oversized. Amy wanted to keep that feeling and give it proportions that made it entirely your own.

The double-breasted front and softly structured shoulders hold the familiar outline. Extra fullness through the body lets the jacket fall away rather than fit closely, giving the wool a gentle swing when you walk. There is enough substance in the cloth to hold the shape, and enough room in the cut for it to move.

It is a jacket to wear with your hands in your pockets and the sleeves pushed back, over a blouse, a dress or the things you already reach for. The pleasure begins with that easy, borrowed feeling. Then you turn around.

Then comes the bow

An oversized bow falls down the back, changing the character of the jacket in a single detail. The front has the composure of tailoring; the back has a flourish. It is the sort of surprise we like to build into a piece, something discovered as the wearer turns or walks away.

The contrast carries through the way we wear it. Navy tweed above a full, swinging skirt. Brown with a wash of pink. The familiar structure of the jacket gives all that softness something to play against. Add a generous collar, let a cuff show, or wear it simply with jeans. Its character leaves room for yours.

Discover the Tweed Jacket

Out into the day

That same sense of freedom runs through our other tweed shapes. The Raglan Coat leaves room for layers and opens into a long, easy silhouette. The Keeper Tail Coat is shorter at the front, with a tail that changes its outline as you turn. This season Inheritance brings a more fitted shape, with a stand collar and a tailored waist, in the Inheritance Blazer and the long Inheritance Coat. We return to the cloth with different ideas, finding new ways for its weight and texture to move.

Our made-to-order pieces are cut and sewn in Ireland, then worn in ways we could never quite plan. That is part of the pleasure. See all our Donegal tweed jackets and blazers and our Donegal tweed coats and capes.

Two cloths, worn together

Linen and wool have clothed Irish families for generations. Bringing them together feels like a little of our ancestors' practical wisdom: linen to help regulate, wool to insulate. Breathable, absorbent linen helps manage moisture, while wool's natural crimp holds pockets of air that provide warmth. At Kindred, that partnership is also something you can see and feel: the striped tumbled linen inside our navy Tweed Jacket, or a linen dress beneath an open wool coat. Weight, weave and layers all play their part. We like the contrast of the two surfaces, and the way linen stays with us as the weather turns.

Explore Irish linen

Donegal tweed, in brief

A plain guide to the cloth, how we use it, and how to look after it.

What is Donegal tweed?

A wool tweed woven in County Donegal, in the north-west of Ireland, and known for its fleck: small flecks of colour spun into the yarn before weaving, which give the cloth its depth. Ours is woven by Molloy & Sons in Ardara.

Is all of Kindred's tweed Donegal tweed?

Most of it. Our Donegal tweed is woven by Molloy & Sons. This season the Locking Up Jacket and The Shawl are made in Irish tweed from Mourne Textiles in County Down, and we describe them that way.

How is Donegal tweed different from Harris Tweed?

Both are wool tweeds from the Atlantic edge. Harris Tweed is woven in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland and protected by its own trademark; Donegal tweed is woven in County Donegal and is known for its flecked yarn rather than a mark. We use Donegal tweed because it is Irish, and because the fleck suits the way we colour a collection.

Is Donegal tweed warm?

Yes. It is a dense wool cloth, and our tweed jackets and blazers and coats and capes are fully lined in Irish linen, which adds warmth without weight. The coats are cut to layer over knitwear in the coldest months.

How do I look after it?

Follow the care label inside your piece. We recommend dry cleaning our Donegal tweed garments to look after the cloth, the lining and the shape.

Can I see the cloth before I order?

Yes. At our shop at 52 Hill Street in Belfast you can see the tweed up close and try the pieces on.

Tweed, the Kindred way

Explore Donegal tweed

Inheritance Coat in Candlelight Tweed, full-length front view in the Emma Kenny campaign.

Raglan Tweed Coat

The Somewhere To Be Coat

Willow Blouse | Rosehip

Tillie Top | Steam

Tillie Top | Sunday Stripe

The Stella Dress | Cortado

Marshmallow Blouse | Blue

The May Dress | Powder

Donegal Tweed

A familiar cloth.
An unexpected turn.

Ardara, in colour

Irish tweed,
from County Down

Borrowed from grandad

Then comes the bow

Out into the day

Two cloths, worn together

Donegal tweed, in brief

Tweed, the Kindred way

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Donegal Tweed

A familiar cloth.An unexpected turn.

Ardara, in colour

Irish tweed,from County Down

Borrowed from grandad

Then comes the bow

Out into the day

Two cloths, worn together

Donegal tweed, in brief

Tweed, the Kindred way

A familiar cloth.
An unexpected turn.

Irish tweed,
from County Down