Digital Product Passports: Craft, Provenance & Transparency
At Celtic Tweed, we have always believed that craftsmanship should be visible, not hidden behind labels or vague claims. When we speak about Irish tailoring, trusted mills, and responsible production, we mean it. Introducing Digital Product Passports is about backing that up with something tangible.This step allows us to move beyond simply telling our story. It allows you to see it. From the origin of the fabric to the final stitch in Balbriggan, we want you to feel confident in what you are wearing and proud of the standards behind it.Transparency should not feel complicated. It should feel reassuring.
Digital Product Passports: The Beginning
Celtic Tweed founder Cathy Coghlan established the brand with a clear intention: to create clothing rooted in heritage, authenticity and genuine craft. From the very beginning, the vision was not simply to design beautiful clothing, but to ensure that every piece carried a traceable story from fibre to finished form. Irish tailoring, for us, has always been about substance as much as style.
Working alongside GS1 Ireland and technology partner Kinset, Celtic Tweed became an early adopter of Digital Product Passports built on GS1 global standards and QR code technology. Together, we developed a structured digital system that records fabric origins, trims, production details and sustainability information in one verified place. That information now lives within each participating item and can be accessed instantly with a simple scan.
What began as an operational project quickly became something more meaningful. By organising and digitising the journey of our clothing, we created a way for customers to see behind the label and into the process itself. Instead of broad claims, there is clear, accessible information. Instead of assumptions, there is evidence.
This approach transforms each piece into a more immersive experience. It reveals how it was made, where it came from and the standards behind it. It allows customers to make informed decisions and strengthens trust between maker and wearer.
More broadly, it signals a shift in how fashion can communicate transparency and quality, showing that tradition and technology can work side by side in service of better practice.
What is Digital Product Passport?
A Digital Product Passport is a secure digital profile connected directly to your item through a unique QR code. With a simple scan on your phone, you can access the full story behind your piece and follow its journey from mill to you.
Rather than relying on a small woven label, the passport opens up a deeper layer of information. It provides clear and practical details about the fabric origin and composition, where and how the item was made, and how it was finished and prepared. It also includes verified sustainability data, along with thoughtful guidance on how to care for, repair and extend the life of your clothing so it can be worn for many years.
The aim is not to overwhelm you with technical language or unnecessary data. It is to offer transparency in a way that feels accessible and reassuring. No jargon. No inflated claims. Just straightforward, honest information about the item you have chosen to invest in and the standards behind it.
Made In Ireland
The fashion industry is changing. Across Europe, sustainability regulations are raising expectations around transparency, traceability and environmental responsibility. We welcome that shift. It reflects conversations that responsible makers have been having for years about longevity, accountability and the true cost of clothing.
By introducing Digital Product Passports, we are aligning with the EU Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation and preparing for a future where accountability is not a marketing advantage but a basic requirement. Rather than waiting to react, we are choosing to lead in a way that feels authentic to who we are as an Irish tailoring house.
Made in Ireland is more than a label for us. Our clothing is cut, tailored, finished and made in Balbriggan, Co. Dublin. The people behind each piece are skilled craftspeople whose work we see every day. That proximity brings responsibility. It means we know who is making your clothing, how it is being made and the standards applied at every stage.
We source fabrics carefully from reputable mills, selecting materials that meet our expectations for quality and resilence. We design clothing to be worn for years, not just for a season. We consider construction, finishing and repairability because longevity is part of sustainability.
True luxury is not defined by appearance alone. It is defined by integrity in sourcing, respect for craftsmanship and the confidence that what you are wearing has been made responsibly from start to finish.
A Step Forward With More to Come
Our Linen Collection is our starting point, not the finish line. Introducing Digital Product Passports within this collection allows us to build the system carefully and thoughtfully, ensuring that every detail reflects the same precision and care we apply to our tailoring. We see this as a foundation, something that will grow steadily and responsibly rather than as a one-time launch.
As part of our long term sustainability roadmap, more Celtic Tweed clothing will carry Digital Product Passports over time. Because many of our pieces are produced in small runs, crafted in limited batches, or made to order, the rollout will be gradual. That is intentional. Each passport requires accurate sourcing data, production records and lifecycle information. We would rather take the time to do it properly than introduce it without substance behind it.
Expanding Digital Product Passports across our collections also means refining how we gather and organise information internally. It encourages stronger processes, closer collaboration with our mills and suppliers, and deeper accountability within our own production rooms in Balbriggan. The benefit is not only external transparency for our customers, but internal improvement for us as makers.
What matters most is the direction we are moving in and the standard we are setting for ourselves. Greater traceability. Clearer communication. Stronger accountability at every stage of production. These are not temporary initiatives. They are long term commitments.
Each passport represents and reflects a belief that clothing should carry a visible history and a future. It signals our intention to improve year by year and to contribute to a fashion industry that values longevity over waste. Clothing should be worn, repaired, handed on and respected, not replaced without thought.
Scan your item. Discover its journey. Wear it with confidence.
