Quote Originally Posted by gilmore View Post
Well, no. Not quite.

Regardless of who created the tartan, be it a 21st century mill or a crone at her loom 300 years ago in the chief's castle, if the chief of the clan or chieftan of the sept does not approve of it, acquiese to it or name it as the clan or sept tartan, then it simply is not the clan or sept tartan. It is what has come to be called a fashion tartan. This is not a rule of law, but of custom. However, it is fairly well adherred to in the nomenclature of tartans.


Your correct about how a tartan becomes official and I am well aware of the process having been through it for a registered tartan myself. However, a great deal of tartans sold as family/clan tartans are technically fashion tartans because, as you point out, the official clan chief etc. does not currently exist. These tartans are still worn with pride (and accepted as the clan tartan) by people sharing that name although the tartan is not technically official. It was to this that I was speaking.