When people think of knitwear, they usually think of fall and winter. Understandable, but not quite right. Knitwear is not just for cold days— it’s a year-round essential. And in fact, summer knitwear is a must- have in any wardrobe: breathable, easygoing, and surprisingly versatile. Since the start of Howlin’, our aim has been to bring a fresh, slightly twisted approach to Scottish knitwear while respecting its rich heritage. We keep the best of traditional techniques and combine them with new technologies, patterns, colours, and ideas.

In an ever-faster and more automated economy, we are eager to slow things down and focus on crafting well-made products. It’s a niche, but one we embrace. Just like a small record label releasing hand-stamped 7-inch records with personal liner notes — it’s the beauty in the details.

Each Howlin’ garment is handled individually and with care throughout its entire production, from the first precise stitch to the final pressing and folding. All our yarns are carefully sourced according to strict quality and sustainability standards.
Our beloved planet Earth holds a special place in our hearts, and we believe it’s the best planet out there (as far as we know). That’s why we strive to keep our impact on it as low as possible.

Our natural yarns come from local mills, with some completing every stage of production under one roof. This includes grading, scouring, and dyeing the fleece, followed by colour blending, carding, spinning, twisting, and balling — resulting in a unique 100% pure Shetland yarn. A quality often imitated, but never duplicated.

Many Scottish knitwear styles made by Howlin’ feature a brushed finish, achieved through artisanal techniques with natural teasels. After knitting and washing each piece in fresh local water, they undergo an individualised process on a vintage brushing machine. This delicately lifts and pulls the fibres, creating a loose and relaxed shaggy effect.

Our commitment to authenticity is reflected in the use of traditional teasels — a natural material no man-made brush can replicate. It is the careful execution of these delicate stages that results in the softest natural Shetland feel we have ever experienced.
The real thing, made by and for lovers.

Together with several small factories in Belgium, each carefully chosen for their own specialty, we have managed to create a diverse range of products which includes lighter weight knitwear, jersey, shirts, jackets, pants and accessories.

Our goal was to create durable, functional, and original products that far outlive seasonal trends.

All pieces are produced in small batches and with close attention to detail.

What makes our jersey extra special is the fact that we don’t import knitted fabrics; instead, we knit everything entirely in-house. Therefore, we can proudly say that all our Howlin' jersey is truly 100% produced in Belgium. This also means we oversee every step of the process, ensuring excellent quality from start to finish.

We are very happy to contribute to this unique art and craft, which is not only beautiful but also culturally important to keep alive.

AB SOUND AND NEW BEAT
For all our made in Belgium pieces we were heavily inspired by new beat and in particular its predecessor: the AB Sound, hence the acid Belgian logo which is on all care labels.

For those who are not familiar, new beat is an electronic music genre that flourished in Western Europe during the late eighties and got its origin in Belgium.

There are many different, ‘mythical’ stories on how this new beat got born, but we like the story of a talented dj called Fat Ronny who was simply too wasted and played 45 rpm records at 33 rpm and pitched them +8 on his turntable.

The result was a new robotic sound which was very bass driven. While disco was the big thing he played a hypnotic mix of slowed down tracks by artists like Severed Heads, PiL, Carlos Peron, The Human Leaque and Boytronic.

Together with a group of likeminded dj’s they soon created a real cult vibe with tracks like Max Berlin’s “Elle et Moi”. Soon after “New Beat” was born and due to the great succes there are tons of bad commercial tracks out there but nevertheless, if you dig a little bit deeper, there is some amazing music to be found from this lost era.