Tartan International

Walk down any big Scottish city high street on a Friday or Saturday night and you'll see plenty of tartan. That's because for many Scotsmen a special night out requires putting on a kilt.

These days kilts come in all sorts of fabric, including leather, corduroy and camouflage print, but still the most popular form is good old fashioned tartan.

• It must be a repeated pattern throughout the fabric
• There must be a central point in the design at which the pattern is mirrored
• It must be made of at least two coloured threads
• The horizontal and vertical patterns must be the same
• It should be made of wool

A rich history

Tartans have traditionally been designed to signify a family name or clan, but can also indicate where the wearer comes from.

Around 1745, during the time of the 'Clearances', when the English invaded and oppressed the native countrymen, all forms of Scottish tradition or clan symbols were not only banned but destroyed. So wearing your clan tartan was seen as a sign of rebellion and to this day the wearing of tartan holds something of the spirit of that defiance and pride.

The modern day tartan

While there are over 5,500 tartans on record, new tartans are being designed all the time.

On 11 September 2008 a company from Peebles released their own luxury tartan made, not from traditional lambswool, but finest Mongolian cashmere. The colours are inspired by the Peebles landscape. A kilt made of this fabric would cost a mere £5,000 pounds.

And Scottish designer David McGill has recently designed a tartan for Japan [link to story], inspired by the colours of cherry blossom, in pink, white, brown and green.

Tartan fashion

Vivienne Westwood was the first to give tartan kudos back in the 70s punk era and since then designers have used it, with varying degrees of success, in their collections.

And there can be no forgetting the huge popularity of fashion giant Burberry's camel-coloured tartan, based on the McTavish clan tartan, still hugely popular a decade on.

This year is no exception, with both Marc Jacobs and Ralph Lauren using muted tartans, while Dolce and Gabbana have gone tartan-crazy with tartans in autumn colours printed on long floating chiffons dresses for the ladies, while the gentlemen get evening jackets or skinny trousers.

Even on the high street, it seems there’s no escaping tartan trends: Top Shop has released their own range of tartan-wear for autumn.

Some say that this cheapens tartan's meaning while others argue that it is a mark of respect.

But in Scotland at least, tartan is mainly for the guys at weddings and rugby matches. While tartan continues to be chic elsewhere it's historical significance can never be underestimated, so you're much more likely to see traditional tartan kilts here than tartan tights and skinny trousers covered in zips.

Useful links

• New cashmere tartan
• Scottish Tartan Authority
• Meeting of Scottish kiltmakers
• Read about the Textiles industry in Scotland
• Slanj Kilts – a Thriving Scottish business