Since 1989, Walker Slater has redefined what tweed can be – no longer a stuffy relic of country estates, but as a versatile, lived-in fabric for modern wardrobes.
Founded in the Highlands by Paul Walker and Frances Slater, the house began with a simple ambition: craft durable, honest clothing suited to Scotland’s rugged climate.
Over the years, Walker Slater rooted itself in Edinburgh’s Old Town before expanding across the UK, carrying its understated approach to tailoring beyond tradition.
At its core lies a deep respect for heritage cloth – from classic tweeds woven in the Borders to the hand-loomed textures of Harris Tweed – which the brand reinterprets with contemporary cuts and wearable silhouettes.
s one of a few labels persistently championing wool and tweed – material born of landscape and climate – Walker Slater remains rooted in authenticity, offering clothes that feel as timeless as the hills that inspired them
Here we speak to co-founder and creative director, Paul Walker.
Square Mile: What first sparked your interest in fashion design?
Paul Walker: Just the way certain clothes made you feel. I liked the idea that you could influence how something was cut and also choose the materials from what it was made with.
SM: How would you describe your brand’s DNA?
PW: Carelessly elegant. Knowing the quality and style will allow you to be yourself.
SM: Where do you go for creative inspiration?
PW: I love the outdoors in the Highlands or being on the ocean. I also really enjoy experiencing great environments created in wonderful houses and gardens.
SM: Which collection or item felt like a breakthrough moment for you, and why?
PW: The lightweight lambswool tweed men’s three-piece suit. It suddenly made tweed more wearable and relevant.
SM: What’s a detail you obsess over that most people wouldn’t notice?
PW: Colour and texture of the materials we work with and how they come together and feel.
SM: What do you think the fashion world gets wrong right now?
PW: I’m not sure I understand the fashion world enough to comment. I like things that change but in an evolutionary, organic way.
SM: How has your approach to design evolved with changing consumer attitudes?
PW: I feel that I can spend more on environmental credentials with regard to where the fibres are coming from. It’s great to know that people want clothes that last – and that are made with sustainable materials.
SM: Which designers – past or present – do you most admire?
PW: I really admire the unstructured silhouettes and earthy tones of Armani, and I like the American working styles of Ralph Lauren.
SM: How do you balance commercial viability with creative risk?
PW: The balance is there as to be boring is to be also commercially risky. The talent is to find the space that is interesting while still being relevant.
SM: What’s the item in your wardrobe you could never part with?
PW: A gilet. I love the freedom of having my arms able to move freely while knowing my core is going to be kept just right
SM: What’s the most out-there idea you’ve ever had?
PW: Really not sure. They all seem a good idea at the time. Perhaps the woollen shirt was a little too much. It evolved into the overshirts that we make – and then it started to work. To begin with they were too itchy when made as a proper shirt.
SM: What’s your biggest fashion faux pas – what do you hate to see?
PW: Big names written across peoples’ fronts arms and backs – even legs.
SM: What’s your sartorial guilty pleasure?
PW: Cashmere scarves.
SM: London, Paris, or Milan – and why?
PW: London for work, Paris for inspiration, and Milan for sourcing. I love Paris the most as I’m still a romantic for the old ways and I like the egalitarian idea of the styles that came from there.
SM: If you weren’t doing this, what would you be doing instead?
PW: Landscape painting or decorating houses.
See more at walkerslater.com
