TWO Scottish tweed companies have headed to Russia as part of their strategy to target the high-growth BRIC countries of Brazil, Russia, India and China.

Harris Tweed Hebrides (HTH) and Breanish Tweed, both of which are based in Lewis, are part of a major Scottish Development International mission to Moscow and St Petersburg, which is aimed specifically at the interiors sector, where there is strong demand from wealthy Russians for international fabrics.

Brian Wilson, HTH chairman, speaking from Moscow, said: “This is a huge market but also a challenging one to get into.

“There is not the same name recognition for Harris Tweed as you would find elsewhere, so we need to get the story across based on both quality and tradition.”

As part of its marketing strategy, HTH, which has been shortlisted as Scottish Textile Brand of the Year in the Scottish Fashion Awards later this month, has targeted the BRIC countries because of their rapid-growth economies and rising wealth of individuals.

Some economists have predicted that the BRICs could become among the world’s four most dominant economies by the year 2050 .

Other companies taking part in the mission include Johnston of Elgin, Holland & Sherry, Bute Fabrics and Timorous Beasties.

Iain Finlay MacLeod, managing director of Breanish Tweed, added: “As customers in markets such as Russia become more sophisticated in their tastes, cloths which have such a strong history and heritage will come to the fore”.