What the Harris Tweed Authority orb mark means
The orb mark has certified authentic Harris Tweed for over a century, and since the Harris Tweed Act 1993 the standard has been protected in law. It confirms three things: the cloth is pure virgin wool dyed and spun in the Outer Hebrides, it was handwoven by islanders at their own homes, and it was finished on the islands. Every length is inspected before the stamp is applied. When a coat carries the orb, its origin is a matter of record, not a label. For the full story of the cloth, how it is woven, and how it differs from every other tweed, read our Complete Guide to Harris Tweed.
The HTA orb mark is the only reliable way to identify certified Harris Tweed. It is stamped onto the cloth itself rather than sewn in as a label, applied to the fabric at inspection. When Gloverall uses HTA-certified Harris Tweed in the Hynes and the Selvon, that certification is a verifiable statement of origin. The cloth was handwoven in the Outer Hebrides, from pure virgin wool, dyed and finished on the islands, under conditions that have remained essentially unchanged for over a century. It is not a tweed-pattern fabric. It is not Harris Tweed in name only. Both coats in this collection carry the orb mark.
The Men's Hynes Harris Tweed® Overcoat
The Men's Hynes Harris Tweed® Overcoat is a clean, single-breasted design with a button down fly front, angled front pockets and a single back vent, named after the Leeds rugby league great Syd Hynes. It comes in three HTA-certified patterns: Brown Houndstooth, Charcoal Herringbone and Grey Check Blue Stripe. The cloth weighs 330 grams per square metre, which is heavier than most commercial overcoat fabrics and gives the coat real presence. The construction is designed to let the cloth do the work, and Harris Tweed has plenty of its own: slightly irregular, warm, and distinctly handwoven. It is cut to be worn over a mid-layer, in sizes XS to 2XL, and full measurements are on the product page.
The Women's Selvon Harris Tweed® Overcoat
The Women's Selvon Harris Tweed® Overcoat brings the same cloth to a women's pattern: a considered, unfussy silhouette with a back vent for ease of movement and two angled front pockets. It comes in Brown Puppytooth, a smaller and quieter check than the men's houndstooth, at the same 330 grams per square metre, in sizes XS to 2XL. Its plain-wool sibling, the Selvon Wool Overcoat, is in women's wool overcoats.
Choosing Your Cloth
The Hynes patterns differ in tone and in use. Brown Houndstooth is the warmest in tone: earthy, characterful, and rooted in the traditional palette most associated with Harris Tweed. It pairs naturally with navy, camel, forest green and chocolate brown, and wears well over both tailoring and weekend knitwear. Charcoal Herringbone is cooler and reads more formally, closer to the city-facing end of the Harris Tweed spectrum. Grey Check Blue Stripe sits between the two, with a check broken by a blue overstripe that shows at close range and reads as plain grey from across a street.
If you wear one overcoat across the week, the Charcoal Herringbone is the most versatile. If you want a coat that reads as distinctly Harris Tweed, the Brown Houndstooth is the stronger statement. The women's Brown Puppytooth is the subtlest of the four.
Harris Tweed Coat or Wool Overcoat?
The Harris Tweed coats and their plain-wool siblings share a pattern and a name. The difference is entirely in the cloth. The Hynes Wool Overcoat and the women's Selvon Wool Overcoat, both in Abraham Moon cloth at 375 grams per square metre, are smoother and more urban-facing, and work more quietly in formal contexts. The Harris Tweed versions are more textured, more characterful and more rural in their associations, though houndstooth and herringbone are entirely at home in a city. Choose the tweed for documented provenance and a cloth that cannot be produced anywhere else in the world; choose the wool for a cleaner silhouette for city and office wear.
Sizing and Layering
Harris Tweed is a heavier cloth than most commercial overcoat fabrics, so both coats have genuine warmth in their own right. Each is designed to be worn over a mid-layer: a roll-neck, a Submariner Jumper, or lightweight knitwear. Most people find their standard size comfortable for this. Anyone who regularly wears a heavy knit under an overcoat should consider sizing up by one. Full measurements are on each product page.
Woven in Scotland, made in England
The cloth is Hebridean; the coats, like everything in the Heritage Collection, are made in England. The coat-by-coat account is on our Made in England page, and the full range is in the Heritage Collection, the men's wool overcoats and the women's wool overcoats.
