Rosy Temple, CEO at Magee 1866 / Donegal Tweed Clothing

In this episode of the Menswear Style Podcast, host Peter Brooker speaks to Rosy Temple, CEO of Magee 1866, one of Ireland’s best-known heritage textile and menswear companies with a history stretching back more than 150 years.

Founded in Donegal in 1866 as a small draper selling handwoven tweed, Magee 1866 has evolved into a multi-generational family business encompassing its own weaving mill, menswear and womenswear collections, retail stores and a global wholesale business.

Rosy shares the story of how Magee 1866 has survived and evolved across five generations, from its origins in traditional Donegal handweaving through to modern clothing, homewares and accessories. She explains how the company has stayed true to its roots while adapting to changing consumer habits, fashion trends and the demands of a global marketplace.

A major focus of the conversation is Donegal Tweed and what makes it distinctive. Rosy explains how colourful flecks, or “neps”, are incorporated into the yarn during the spinning process to create the characteristic texture and vibrant appearance associated with authentic Donegal Tweed. She also discusses the differences between Donegal Tweed and other famous heritage fabrics such as Harris Tweed.

We explore the craftsmanship behind Magee’s weaving mill, including the process of turning raw yarn into finished cloth and the combination of modern power weaving with traditional skills. Rosy also discusses the importance of geographical protection for Donegal Tweed and the collective work taking place to ensure the fabric remains genuinely connected to its region of origin.

The conversation also looks at how Magee 1866 uses its own textiles across modern menswear, including tailored suits, made-to-measure clothing, jackets, knitwear and casual pieces. Rosy explains how the brand has adapted to the decline of traditional office dressing by introducing softer, more relaxed tailoring alongside its heritage three-piece and two-piece suits.

Rosy also talks about the business's international supply chain, including manufacturing within Europe and overseas, working with specialist British and Italian mills, and balancing authenticity, quality, cost and production requirements.

We also hear about Rosy’s own journey into the family business after working at Christie’s in London, and how stepping away from Donegal gave her a different perspective on the scale and value of the family company before eventually returning home.

The episode explores what it takes to preserve a heritage fashion business for more than a century and a half, from maintaining quality and craftsmanship to embracing innovation, changing customer behaviour and surviving major economic and political disruptions.

Rosy discusses the impact of Brexit on importing and exporting materials and finished products, as well as Magee 1866’s approach to collaborations, wholesale, retail and connecting traditional Irish textiles with contemporary consumers.

The conversation also covers the growing importance of storytelling in heritage fashion, the role of independent menswear retailers, and how seeing Magee clothing and Donegal Tweed used in different environments can help bring the brand's history and craftsmanship to life.

A fascinating conversation about Donegal Tweed, Irish menswear, heritage fashion, textile manufacturing, traditional weaving, luxury tailoring, sustainable materials, family business and preserving craftsmanship for future generations.

Discover Magee 1866 at magee1866.com and explore more menswear, fashion and style content at menswearstyle.co.uk.

www.menswearstyle.co.uk

Transcript

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SPEAKER_01 0:11

Hello, welcome to another episode of the Men's Wear Style Podcast. I'm your host, Pete Booker, and today on the show I am speaking to Rosie Temple. She is the CEO of McGee 1866. And McGee was established in 1866 by John McGee as a small draper shop in Donegal, Ireland, buying and selling handwoven tweeds. In 1900, Robert Temple bought the business, and today the third and fourth, uh, I suppose fifth generation now Temple family are at the helm. And you can find out more about the brand and its illustrious history over at McGee1866.com, but here to give you the the thumbnail sketch of the brand and to talk about what they're doing nowadays. Here is the CEO, Rosie Temple.

SPEAKER_00 0:56

Yeah, so I um look after uh the side of the business, uh, which is our uh McGee Clothing, where we um wholesale our collections to about 300 retailers, independent menswear stores, mainly in Ireland and the UK. And then I look after the McGee retail side, where we have three stores in Ireland, two in Dublin, and one in Dunegall, which is up in Northwest Ireland where the company started, and then our online site as well. So I'm CEO of those parts of the business, and then I work with my brother, it's very much a family business, who is CEO of McGee Weaving, where we have a weaving mill where we're taking yarn in and weaving fabric up.

SPEAKER_01 1:37

Interesting. And so I was just on the website moments ago looking at the great history because it's it's all there. It's so could you perhaps, I don't know, give us the broad strokes of some of the pivot points in the company's history and and also what are we providing in terms of services and garments nowadays?

SPEAKER_00 1:56

Sure. Um, and don't worry, I'll save you the full kind of 155 years plus of decade by decade, but uh in a nutshell, it was started in the 1860s um by a cousin of mine uh called John McGee. And he really started uh buying and selling handwoven tweed, which would be a product that's very traditional to Southwest Donegal, where you would have farmers who might have been farming, fishing, and then hand weaving as well. So that's really the origin um of the company, and and from there uh it then went to um my great-grandfather, Robert Temple, in the late 19th century. At that point, they had a store in Donegal Town, which is like a market town. And then during the course of the 20th century, went to my grandfather, Howard Temple, and then they started weaving in more of a factory setting, then they started into garments, Zol men's wear at that point, then moving into the 70s where my dad joined, um, and then right up to the present day, where as I said, I work with my brother, who looks after the weaving mill, and my sister who works in the creative and the design aspect. And today there are the three aspects to the business being the weaving mill, um, and that's really specialist. Uh, it's amazing when you go in it, you get a real sense of the heritage and the history and the skill there, and where we're power weaving, but there's still a lot of processes to that, and we're selling that fabric around the world to other businesses and then incorporating it into our own collections, which are across men, women, home, and accessories, and sold through those two routes to market.

SPEAKER_01 3:44

Interesting. Yeah, well, thank you. Beautifully uh paraphrased there. But I do encourage people to have a look at the history on the website, it's fascinating. Perhaps for the uninitiated, could you give us the differences between, say, Don Eagle tweed and other kinds of tweed? And what makes Don Eagle Tweed so special?

SPEAKER_00 4:02

Yeah, so Donegal Tweed um is unique to this county and this region that um we're in. Really, one of the its defining characteristics is uh starts with the yarn. So whenever you have the raw material of wool and whenever that's spun into the yarn, in Dunegall Tweed, the spinning process includes um these little uh they're called naps and they're like little colourful um pieces which get included in the yarn and spun into the yarn. So that when you then bring that yarn and weave it on a loom with the warp and the weft, the horizontal and the vertical, you'll get these distinctive little colourful naps of wool from the spinning process coming through. And then you'll see Dunningle tweed in two, I suppose, iconic patterns, which would be the herringbone, um so those sort of VW shapes uh layered up, and then the pepper and salt, which is if you go onto our website, you'll you'll see some of it in some of the blazers and some of the garments. It is as it sounds, little speckles, and it's got that lovely vibrancy and colour, and that would be different to Harris tweed, um, which uh has its own distinctive characteristics, but wouldn't have those sort of colourful naps coming through the yarn.

SPEAKER_01 5:19

Are the naps that come through the yarn, are they almost by accident or can you plot exactly where they come?

SPEAKER_00 5:26

I mean, uh they're sort of they're they're I suppose part of the natural characteristic, um, but they are they do then come through in a random assortment as such through through the fabric. And we uh what's very exciting at the moment, my brother many years ago made a submission to the EU to have a geographical protection um for Dunegall Tweed, a little bit like champagne can only come from champagne. And so uh my brother has been working with other mills in the county, so it's a real collective effort uh to make sure that Donegal Tweeds can really just come from Donegal Tweed. And uh so that's really exciting for for us. And but it's very much, you know, it is it's amazing to see what Harris Tweed have done and what a phenomenal sort of success and global recognition that has. And I think uh I think it's great to see two different types of fabric from the northern hemisphere uh having that uh global QDOS and a good natural fibre, which ticks all the boxes on the environmental front as well.

SPEAKER_01 6:29

Yeah, yeah, I bet. And uh when I was doing a little bit of research ahead of our chat, looking up Don Eagle Tweed, just make sure I wasn't making too many gaffes. You guys are pretty much the headline act on the Wikipedia page. So there's like a huge passage from Don Eagle Tweed from uh Mickey 1866, and then it mentions a couple of other mills in the area. So you I would have thought that would have been already locked down. That's interesting that you say that you're getting that geographical nod.

SPEAKER_00 6:56

Yeah, just getting the official stamp. Um, but yes, there are a couple, there are a couple of other really good, uh, very strong mills in Donegal as well. So certainly part of a wider community, which is a good, a good place to be.

SPEAKER_01 7:07

Yeah, I bet. Oh, you also provide suits and garments in other fabrics. Uh, I mean I saw on your on the website. Are those also made in the mill there at Donegal or are they outsourced?

SPEAKER_00 7:18

We incorporate where we can our own fabrics, which cover Donegal tweed, but also other, we also have Irish linen as well. Um, so we use those in our collections, and the garments are then made up mainly within the EU and a global supply chain. And we would also uh work with other speciality um mills as well, a couple in the UK, uh maybe a couple of Italian mills as well. So predominantly around, but then there are a couple of other specialities where we would uh look to other mills.

SPEAKER_01 7:49

Do you incorporate bespoke now in the shops? I know that was a thing way back in the day for you guys, kind of like pre-First World War, but you can move into that.

SPEAKER_00 7:58

Yeah, for us, um tailoring is I suppose part of our core heritage and and that sort of men's two-piece or three-piece suit, and that remains a uh, I suppose, a core part of what we do, um, and that includes made-to-measure uh service through our own stores. That's written not online through our own stores, um, but we've also over the years um diversified into developing more of a casual um part of the collection. You know, you you look at photos of what everyone was wearing to the office in the 1980s compared to what everyone's wearing now, if they're even in an office. So obviously there's been huge shifts in what the end consumer is wearing, and there's still very much a place for that really sharp-looking suit, particularly look great in our Dunegal Tweed or in the spring in linen. Um, but then there's equally a place to bring about something softer and more unstructured on the tailoring front, whether that's some online blazers, that type of end, and then right through into the more casual product like knitwear and trousers.

SPEAKER_01 8:59

I was going to ask Rosie at the start. Perhaps I should have asked you this, but as this is you're like the fifth generation, I believe, you're the you're the fifth generation that's come in to uh work work on the brand. Was there ever any choice for you, or was there any kind of other things that you were looking at doing? And then go, you know what, I have the the pool was too much. I must come.

SPEAKER_00 9:19

No, very, very much so. Uh dad was dad has is the overall chairman still, um, but he he was amazing. He was very much uh left it up to the three of us if we wanted to. There was never any pressure, and I think this uh reverse psychology definitely worked well. All went off and did different things. My brother's an engineer, um, my sister is doing other things. I worked in London for a couple of years in Christie's the auction house, and then I suppose over time, and with the uh what's the word? Uh with the giving the different vantage point at distance, uh, took up a little time to understand uh what a brand there was at home um and what kind of history there was behind it and what we could do with it in the future. So we all came back and uh so that's how it worked out.

SPEAKER_01 10:04

That's fascinating. So you were working at Christie's. What were you were you an auctioneer there?

SPEAKER_00 10:09

Yeah, selling selling paintings, so yeah, sort of 19th and 18th century pictures, which I loved. Um but then the kind of call to come home, that kind of activistic thing of Ireland is uh is strong, I think. So I came back and yeah, really started working with family business. Okay. And we've got great team around us as well. Um, I think you know, uh family business is yes, it is about the family working in it, but we've also got uh an amazing team uh here in Duny Guller and Dublin.

SPEAKER_01 10:37

I mean, I think people that will be listening to this will just be curious to know what are the secrets of a successful brand that's been going for as long as you guys have. Is there is there something that you can put your finger on? Um were there any massive challenges along the way, or maybe even recently with world events?

SPEAKER_00 10:54

Yeah, I mean there there absolutely have been challenges through through each decade and each generation. I I think it is having that that balance of being able to hold on to uh your roots and stay true to those. We've we've always been about quality, we've always been about the fabric that's at the heart of what we do, but also knowing when to change and uh and not not turn your back on your identity, keep that, but also look forward. So I think that balancing act uh when you're over 150 years old is is you're constantly walking on that. And then I think just having that resilience um to be able to withstand the different external circumstances, be it world wars or much, much more recently, uh Brexit, which is of minimal benefit to anybody. It's uh just one of those uh political events, which is something that you know you the UK, which is such a key customer base for us online and wholesale, um, and a base we really want to keep. But Brexit has added uh a layer of complexity, um, which we obviously will work through, um, but has been challenging.

SPEAKER_01 12:09

In what way has it really affected you?

SPEAKER_00 12:12

It's I all of the work uh around literally the importing and exporting of raw material and goods. Um, and obviously the the UK continues to be a really strong market for us, um, and we see so much more potential there over the years. Um, so we'll we'll work through the Brexit area, um, but it certainly has thrown up administrative challenges.

SPEAKER_01 12:35

Are you looking at getting any bricks and mortar in in London, even or anywhere else in the UK?

SPEAKER_00 12:40

We haven't any concrete plans for that at the moment. Um, we'd have a very strong um base um of a UK customer through our really excellent independent retailers up and down the country um and through our online as well. Um, but um who knows into the future.

SPEAKER_01 12:55

When I was on the website, I really looked like the look of the collaborations that you've done over the years. Putting the Porsche in in Dunning your tweed was a really nice touch. Uh have you got anything else like that in line? Or do you as a brand are you looking to do really creative collaborations with other companies and businesses?

SPEAKER_00 13:14

Yeah, I think that's something um that we're always open to when the right sort of opportunity come comes along. Um, this this year we've done so we worked uh like with a really amazing guy called Damien Brown, who rode The Atlantic last year, rugby player to burn extreme adventure, did like a fantastic photo shoot with him. Um and I think for us, looking at how other people wear our clothing in whatever setting that might be really brings the brand to life. Um, so we're we're always open to looking at those. Um, and we've also got a really strong women's collection which features a lot of our own fabrics. We've just launched autumn winter 23, real bold fabrics coming through. Um, so we're always looking for ways as to how can we bring that um to the to the end consumer as well.

SPEAKER_01 14:03

And do you supply fabrics to to the likes of Savile Row and places like that? So when people can go into other tailors that might be in London, for example, they can request some Don Eagle fabrics that have come from you guys.

SPEAKER_00 14:15

Um there are, yeah, we would supply uh fabric to to kind of different tailors um and other brands as well. So that's something that that the Weaving Mill does. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 14:24

I'm just interested how like we can, if I was London-based, get a suit made with you guys through the fabric that you supply. So something that I would request for.

SPEAKER_00 14:34

I mean, you could obviously that you can purchase our fabric by the meter um online and then take it to a tailor. Uh is probably the the the fast way of doing it, um, or buying the the ready-to-wear directly from um from our online website.

SPEAKER_01 14:48

I mean you can order swatches for you guys as well for your website, right?

SPEAKER_00 14:52

Yes, you can order swatches just just to check that you uh that you like it and you see it in person. Okay. So we in in the in our shop in Dunighool, which is the the store that my grandfather would have been born above, we would uh do so hand weaving demonstrations there because we still do a little bit of hand weaving. Um, so we do do that, and then occasionally we will bring um people around the mill, but it's not actually open to the public.

SPEAKER_01 15:30

Ah, okay. Maybe, maybe a polite request somewhere somewhere along the email train. You might be able to sneak up.

SPEAKER_00 15:38

Try and bring it to life um just uh through our our social pages um and through our website as well, just to get a sense of each of the processes from warping, weaving, and finishing, um, and all the stages along that. And we've many decades of experience uh with all of the team there.

SPEAKER_01 15:58

Yeah, I'd be fascinated to see that. What's the best way to get to Donegal?

SPEAKER_00 16:02

I guess it's a flight out of Don Egall is um flying into uh Derry, which is only um an hour or so up the road or Belfast or Knock.

SPEAKER_01 16:11

Okay, all right, great.

SPEAKER_00 16:12

Lots of options, not too many train options, but lots of flight and uh bus options.

SPEAKER_01 16:18

Well, I'll get some ideas over to the girlfriend later of uh a little weekend breakaway. Listen, Rosie, thank you so much for your time today. And uh and it was great speaking to you. McGee 1866 is Instagram where you guys hang out and post some of the wonderful photos. Is that you behind there when people get hold of you, or is it part of the team?

SPEAKER_00 16:39

Uh part of part of the team, but we're we're not some giant company. It sits very quickly to you know, I'm in touch with that team all the time.

SPEAKER_01 16:46

So and uh the website McGee1866 as well, I want to say. Is that right? Yes, I got it.

SPEAKER_00 16:53

Yeah, two six six.com.

SPEAKER_01 16:55

Thank you so much, Rosie. Great talking to you.

SPEAKER_00 16:56

That's great. Okay, thank you.

SPEAKER_01 16:58

Thank you.

SPEAKER_00 16:58

Bye.

SPEAKER_01 17:04

You've been listening to the Menswear Style podcast. Be sure to head over to menswearstyle.co.uk for more menswear content and email info at menswearstyle.co.uk if you would like to be a future guest on the show. Finally, please help support the show by leaving a review on iTunes or wherever you're listening to this podcast. Until next time.