Experimental kiltmakers start new battle with traditionalists; Online

Sunday Herald, The, Jul 25, 2004 by Senay Boztas

A new brand of designer kilts which take Highland dress to extremes has restarted the battle between traditionalists and modernisers for the soul of tartan.

Edinburgh-based company directors Adele Telford and Nick Fiddes know their new range, Tartan2, which warps, overprints and imitates tartan could be seen as "disrespectful". But they are determined to get men out of trousers and into a form of clothing with more room for self-expression.

The winds are already changing in the world of high-profile kilt wearers. Pictures of First Minister Jack McConnell in his modern pinstripe kilt at the New York Tartan Day celebrations were much criticised but widely publicised. And actor Vin Diesel, presenter at the MTV awards in Edinburgh last year, was lauded for his choice of a leather kilt.

The new internet-based company, which employs more than a dozen specialist kilt-makers from around Scotland, will take different materials a stage further to experiment with distressed tartan, as well as printing and sewing other fabrics on to the (pounds) 1000 designer kilts. The range will be launched at the Edinburgh Festival.

Telford and Fiddes have already sold some 1000 leather, pinstripe and PVC kilts around the world through www.kiltstore.net. With a booming market partly due to a trend for kilts at American weddings, they decided to marry Highland dress and haute couture.

They have created a first season that spoofs tartan, making other materials look like the clan fabric, adding layers and overprinting. Fiddes said the kilt could cause a revolution in men's design: "The kilt is the garment that has the best chance of breaking men's fashion from the limits of trousers.

"Women have fantastic options to express themselves, but when David Beckham wore a sarong, it was seen as effeminate. McConnell made the headlines and made people aware there were kilts other than traditional tartan.

"But the kilt is seen internationally as respectable, and worn by men. We are a Scottish company and it would be seen as disrespectful if anyone outwith Scotland did this, but we have had some fun with tradition and the baggage loaded on kilts with a collection that pays homage to the traditions of tartan."

The pair have added fabrics such as polyviscose, denim, and expandex - a synthetic material that can be warped and stretched. The amount of material has also been reduced from the traditional nine yards to less than six, and their prototypes will be displayed on models at events and parties during the Edinburgh Fringe.

Telford said they were aiming at the upper end of the market at first, but would then create cheaper collections. "It is time that kilts started moving on," she said. "The first step was to make tartan more casual, then start to play with it. We want to make it less of a Scottish garment, but for anyone who wants to wear something really cool. Traditionalists are against modern kilts because they think we shouldn't mess with our national dress, but this is a fantastic garment."

Sure enough, even before they have seen the new designs, voices are being raised in concern. Geoffrey Nicolsby, managing director of Geoffrey (Tailor) Kiltmakers in Edinburgh, has strongly supported the idea of a quality logo backed by the Kilt Makers Association of Scotland.

He said that although his son Howard has created the spin-off 21st Century Kilts - which created Diesel's MTV outfit - some new manufacturers are neglecting quality.

"Possibly, people are exploiting the kilt and should name their designs something else," he said. "Many are jumping on the bandwagon to make a quick buck, and we are very strict about quality tailoring. I'll wait to see these new kilts, but some things on sale in the high street are a joke."

In some ways, however, kilts could be returning to their origins by abandoning tartan. According to Nicolsby, kilts were first worn as plain cloth wrap-arounds by the Greeks. They were adopted as Highland dress for their versatility as sleeping mats, porridge-holders and even head covers from the rain.

But clans originally used the local dyes they found in their area, rather than weaving the complex tartans that were developed in Victorian times.

Now there are more than 400 tartans and the Scottish Tartans Authority is creating an official register of the patterns. Blair Urquhart, one of the governors, said: "The fact that the kilt is being developed as a fashion item is great, and as for playing with tartan, it seems very creative: the more the merrier!"

Michael Cantley, chairman and managing director of Hector Russell kiltmakers, said that companies all over the world were making kilts for everything from work clothing on building sites to formal function wear: "One of the reasons that we do tartan is because it is distinctive to Scotland and while Scots like to see the kilt being fashionable, 95% don't want to wear them. They come and buy tartan."