Along with her husband, Jim, a lady called Mary Buchanan started making bespoke clothing for the great outdoors in the little village of Poolewe, in the North West Highlands, back in 1982. Taking the name of a local mountain, Slioch, the company thrived for a decade or so producing a fine range of clothing and specialising in ‘made-to-measure’ items.

We think it was in the late 1990s that Mary and Jim sold the business to Tes and Catherine Uquhart-Taylor, they carried on for a decade or so, but finally ran out of luck, and business, in 2006 when Slioch ceased to exist.

Fortunately, Tes and Catherine sponsored our founder, Mick Tighe, with a few items of clothing just before they retired, this pullover Ventile jacket was one of them. Ventile was created during World War Two and was popular for a while until Gore-Tex came along. This jacket was designed for climbers with high pockets to go above a harness and side zips for ventilation and ease of putting on and taking off.