Magee specialises in designing and weaving luxury natural fibre fabrics in the Mill in Donegal. Their designers work closely with some of the world’s leading fashion brands to create colourful, intricately designed fabrics. They still hand-weave using lambswool, alpaca and cashmere yarns that result in a beautifully soft handle. Designs include the classic Salt & Pepper, the true Donegal tweed inspired by the ever changing landscape surrounding Magee. Every Magee collection, whether fabric, garment or accessory is designed to reflect the distinctive Donegal heritage with a contemporary twist.
Magee was established in 1866, originally as a small drapers shop in Donegal buying and selling handwoven tweed, by John Magee, a cousin of the current generation’s great-grandfather, Robert Temple. Robert Temple bought the business in 1900 and it has been in the Temple family ever since. Today Magee is a fourth and fifth-generation family run business, run by Lynn Temple (Chairman), his daughter Charlotte (Retail and Design Director) and son Patrick (Sales & Operations Manager of Magee Weaving).
Magee 1866 consists of three inter-related divisions: Magee Weaving, Magee Clothing and Magee of Donegal, the umbrella company for the retail outlets in Donegal and Dublin, and employs 130 people in Ireland, approximately 100 of those in Donegal Town. Magee weaving has four designers on the team and still employ 6 hand-weavers. The bulk of the fabric is woven on powerlooms. The industry today demands very technical designs with the multiple use of many colourful yarns. Some of the cloths – such as bouclé and other very high fashion cloths – can only be woven on the power-loom. Magee Weaving specialises in designing and weaving high-quality natural fibre fabrics in the mill in Donegal. All four designers work closely with some of the world’s leading fashion brands to create colourful, highly textured fashion cloths and, of course, this includes classic Donegal’s with their unique pepper and salt and herringbone characteristics.
Magee Clothing, long known for its high quality suits, jackets and trousers, now sells a full lifestyle collection of knitwear, shirts and casual outerwear to leading independent menswear stockists and concessions (including Arnotts) throughout Ireland and the UK as well as its own shops, Magee of Donegal and the recently opened flagship store, Magee of South Anne Street in Dublin, plus online at magee1866.com
