Without trying to sound like the beginning of a bad wedding speech, the Oxford English Dictionary defines radical in a few different ways. The one that feels closest to what we do is this:

“Characterized by independence of or departure from what is usual or traditional; progressive, unorthodox, or innovative in outlook, conception, design, etc.” 

At Radical Weavers, we try to live up to that definition every day. Our work is guided by three principles: Inclusivity, Inspiration, and Wholeheartedness. 

This is the single most important principle we believe in.

In our studio, everyone is welcome — regardless of sex, gender, religion, political persuasion, class, disability, creed, race, preference of pizza topping, music taste, or strong opinions about whether cats or dogs are better. 

We’ve made sure our looms are wheelchair accessible. One of our longest-serving volunteers is legally blind. The majority of our staff and volunteers are neurodiverse. We adapt our processes wherever we can to suit individuals, and we’re always looking for new ways to solve problems.

One of our projects, Nip & Tuck, focuses on supporting transgender young people — something that is deeply personal to members of our team.

Our premises are fully accessible, and we have multiple gender-neutral toilets on site. 

The only people who aren’t welcome in our studio are those who would bully, victimise, or insult anyone else who walks through our doors. 

Weaving — and creativity — is for everyone. Radical Weavers will always be a safe space for people not only to express their individuality, but to celebrate it. 

What inspires you? Who inspires you? And how can you inspire someone else?

These are questions we ask ourselves when we start new projects at Radical Weavers. 

We’ve had volunteers go from being functionally mute to working in customer service roles. Staff who had previously been declared “unemployable” are now off to university independently. Individuals who have faced enormous personal struggles are now more confident, self-assured, and happier than ever before.

We have weavers who are blind, people who once told us they were “not creative”, and others who felt they’d lost their spark somewhere along the way. Some of those same people have gone on to become designers in residence at the V&A Dundee, helped teach the Princess of Wales how to weave, or now run workshops entirely on their own.

Watching that kind of growth is incredible.

But I don’t want to paint too rosy a picture. Like every workplace, we have our issues — unwashed coffee mugs, messy workstations, unanswered emails. We are definitely not perfect. 

But seeing people try — seeing them push themselves, support each other, and grow — that’s inspiring in itself. 

On a less poetic note, inspiration in the studio comes from everywhere. People, places, history, current events, colours, textures, animals, pop culture — you name it, someone in the studio has probably turned it into tartan at some point.

As I’ve already admitted, we are not perfect.

Right now we have four full-time members of staff, two part-time, and a brilliant group of volunteers. That means sometimes emails take a little longer to answer. Occasionally we miss a phone call. 

But what I can promise is that everyone at Radical Weavers goes above and beyond for our customers, our community, and each other. 

You’ll often see our manager scrubbing floors, patching walls,

fixing the Wi-Fi, or serving customers in the shop. Our designer is making products for the shop, serving tea and coffee to tour groups, and running our social media. Our weavers are running workshops, weaving commissions, weaving stock for the shop, and constantly learning new skills.

Without a team this passionate — people who genuinely care about giving everyone who walks through the door the best possible experience — Radical Weavers simply wouldn’t exist. 

We also carry forward the spirit of the Radical Weavers of Stirling in 1820, whose story we share through our Tartan Radical Exhibition.

Coming back to that definition at the start, I think Radical Weavers does embody that spirit of unorthodox, progressive practice — something that definitely departs from the traditional.

And while it’s impossible to please everyone — we’ll always be too radical for some and not radical enough for others — we’re more than happy with our trailblazing, unconventional, slightly maverick team. 

And our Radical Studio will always be their home. 

Hope to see you there sometime.