Blending Tradition & Technology at Robert Mackie

A sign reading 'Since 1845' adorns the front of the Robert Mackie factory, an unassuming red-brick building in the South Ayrshire town of Stewarton. It’s a time-honoured operation, but inside, the hum of modern knitting machines and casual chatter reveal a refreshing fusion of heritage and innovation.

“There are people here who have over 30 years of service with us,” says Brian Ashard, Production Manager at the company. Its long history includes several generations of families who completed apprenticeships and secured permanent positions, most born and raised in Stewarton or nearby. “It’s a job for life. We’ve had people leave school at 16 years old and join the business because their mother or father worked here, and they’ve stayed for decades.” Some things stay the same, but much has changed since the first stitch was sewn – in a neighbouring, now-defunct building – almost two centuries ago.

The original Robert Mackie specialised in traditional Scottish headwear, particularly Glengarry and Balmoral bonnets, characterised by a soft, beret-like shape and two ribbons at the base. Robert belonged to a family immersed in Ayrshire’s thriving textile industry, and started working for his father’s carpet-making business at the age of eleven. Eventually, he decided to tap into his homeland’s traditions and tried his hand at bonnet-making. Robert Mackie & Co. was born soon after, when he was just twenty-two.

Robert helmed the business until his son-in-law took over in the early 1900s. Since then, it has passed down through generations, shifting focus to non-ceremonial wool scarves, hats, and gloves, while still producing bonnets. In 2015, the last Mackie stepped down due to health issues. “Keith Mackie knew he wanted to leave, so there wasn’t much investment in new machinery,” explains Brian, who joined about nine years ago. His arrival coincided with Graeme Haddow purchasing the company, sparking a wave of modernisation, innovation and the pursuit of environmental sustainability.

Investing in top-tier machinery and leveraging twenty-first-century technological advancements became a priority, enhancing production efficiency and sustainability. “We're making items with zero waste,” Brian says. “So there's no offcuts. And using the machine to create the shape means every single item is identical.” On a tour of the factory floor, he stops to pick up a Waffle Stitch Fingerless Glove created for the TOAST Autumn Winter collection, which has dropped from a machine. It is fully formed but incomplete, with loose threads and a slightly shrunken shape. It takes a matter of minutes to machine-knit the item, but it still has to undergo trimming, washing, steaming, pressing and labelling.

“Although we’re using technology to make the initial product, many of the finishing processes are still quite traditional,” Brian explains. “You need somebody with good attention to detail to examine it for flaws and attach the label neatly. These are skilled roles that haven’t changed over the years.”

Anne Graham is one of Robert Mackie’s most experienced workers. After leaving school, she was trained to operate sewing machinery at another local factory. Following a career break to raise her two sons, she joined Robert Mackie as an overlocker in the early 1980s, eventually becoming a supervisor and now a team manager in the finishing department. “I make sure everything’s running smoothly,” she says. “I like the routine of the job, and it’s a good bunch of girls that I’ve got here. We all enjoy the chat.”

As we speak, her team is working on a Colour Block Wool Scarf for the TOAST Autumn Winter 2024 collection, ensuring the quality is up to standard, trimming the loose yarns and sewing on the labels. Beside them, another group works on the gloves we viewed earlier when they were fresh out of the machine. In the final stage of production, the wool has developed an attractive “fuzz” after being washed with industrial soaps, chosen for their chemical-free properties. Each glove is uniform, owing to a special machine which stretches the misshapen product over rotating metal hands to form the correct size.

Robert Mackie uses exclusively natural fibres, mostly wool but with some cotton and cashmere. “It’s all biodegradable and very environmentally friendly. Wool is a wonderful fibre, and we’re lucky that there’s an abundance of it,” says Brian. He shows us two scarves. One is coarse with a textured feel; the other is soft and fine. “The coarser wool is British, whereas this one is lambswool from Australia.” The climate determines the density of the fibre, and typically British variants are thicker with a rougher handle.

Z Hinchcliffe & Sons, a Yorkshire family spinner with a 200-year history, has supplied most of Robert Mackie’s yarns for years. The modern machinery requires less yarn than traditional knitting methods, but the supply remains bountiful. Brian leads us to the warehouse where hundreds of boxes hold colourful spools in seaweed green, ember, and myriad shades of blue. These vibrant hues are achieved using AZO-free dyes, which are gentler with lower environmental impact than standard dyes. Hinchcliffe, along with the other mills Robert Mackie works with, complies with the Restricted Substance List. Water used in the manufacturing process is collected from nearby rivers and streams, before being returned to the natural springs in pure, clean condition.

In 2022, Robert Mackie welcomed its first Compliance Manager to the team, Diane Donaldson. “The company has been here since 1845, so obviously it’s doing something right,” she says. “We’re not trying to reinvent the wheel, but there is a lot to think about to make sure the future is sustainable.” Recognising that transparency is crucial in combatting greenwashing, Diana has initiated a yearly analysis of the factory’s carbon emissions, waste audits and a four-pillar Sedex audit which surveys its environmental impact. “It’s important to be able to quantify your claims – we have to substantiate what we say.” 

In a well-intentioned business like Robert Mackie, small decisions along the way make all the difference. Diane points out that having a mostly local workforce means approximately 46% of employees lift-share or walk to work. “​​Commuting is one of the areas where companies are looking to reduce their impact,” she says. “But we’re naturally doing it to quite a degree already.”

While the team continuously seeks opportunities to be more sustainable, their hope is that customers will similarly prolong the finished product’s lifespan by repairing where possible. “We make a really high-quality product that lasts a long time,” Diane says. “But if there is damage from wear, ordering a replacement shouldn’t be the default option.” Brian echoes this, and it’s clear he feels invested in the product even after it leaves the factory. “We'll gladly send a yarn wrapping to people to allow them to repair their own products. We’ve got to work like that, we can’t just throw it away.”

Despite Robert Mackie’s recent technological overhaul, there is a tangible sense of community across the factory, and it’s easy to appreciate the collaborative effort it takes to make each piece. Women of all ages huddle in groups over finishing stations; technicians’ voices boom as they converse over the whirring of machinery. Waffled mittens and weighty scarves are packed into boxes, ready to find new homes with TOAST customers. Every stitch, every strand of yarn, and every carefully placed label is a testament to the shared dedication and craftsmanship of the Robert Mackie family, past and present.

Shop the TOAST Knitted Wool Bandana, Colour Block Wool Scarf, Waffle Stitch Wool Beanie, Waffle Stitch Fingerless Gloves, Zig Zag Jacquard Mittens, Fingerless Wool Gloves, and Ribbed Wool Cashmere Mittens.

Words by Bébhinn Campbell.

Photography by Richard Gaston.