Slioch Outdoor Jacket
Gairloch Museum

The clothing company of Slioch takes its name from a mountain – giving us a clue about the type of clothing it made! Based in Poolewe, near Gairloch, the small business was set up by Mary and Jim Buchanan in 1982.  At one point, they supplied made-to-measure garments to every search and rescue team in Scotland.    

Slioch waterproof jackets were very popular and well known for being ‘bomb proof’.  Made in a small factory unit in Poolewe, they were sold in a shop round the corner on the main street – a very successful, small business.  

Slioch – the mountain on the side of Loch Maree in Wester Ross – has an elevation of nearly a thousand metres. Bordered on three sides by water, it stands impressively high. It is one of the most recognisable of the Highland mountains and is often photographed. It is viewed as a mountaineering challenge by many Munro baggers!