Need help identifying kilt maker

[RockyR]

I agree with Steve and I'd like to add my $.02 if you'll allow me.

As someone who makes and sells kilts around the $100 pricepoint (ours are admittedly a little over $100 in most cases), there is nothing wrong with wanting a kilt and not being able to afford a higher priced '8 yard wool' kilt, therefore purchasing a lower priced alternative.

What I will say, with hat in hand and as respectfully as possible to the newer guys who may not know the intricacies and difference between an 8 yard wool kilt and a less expensive kilt: Please don't take 'corrections' of something you stated personally (though the 'corrections' can be occasionally stated a bit more gently). The internet is full of half truths and marketing ploys and outright falsities (supposed facts that are in fact dead wrong). On Xmarks, we try to separate the wheat from the chaff (and the truth from the false statements). We all have opinions and that is fine. However, there is a difference between an opinion and a fact. When someone states something as a fact that is incorrect, it is up to members with more experience / knowledge to correct it so that these things don't seep into the general 'truth consciousness' about kilts.

Ludicrous Example: No one is allowed to wear a clan tartan unless that's your surname (last name) and the mill won't sell you the cloth unless you can prove it.

Now if someone wrote that and no one challenged it with facts, it would be "out there" in the ethos for anyone to read. Let's say someone is researching that exact topic and comes across statements like that (which are un-true, but he doesn't know any better). What is he to believe? What if he says "Well, I guess I'm not allowed to wear a kilt then since I don't have a tartan" and turns away from a fun garment which we all enjoy b/c someone's obviously false statement was allowed to stand unchallenged.

Xmarks is a good INFORMATIVE source for opinions and facts. It's only through POLITELY correcting people that:

1. The person who made the statement understands why it wasn't correct and maybe will learn something. (again, there's a difference between FACT and OPINION)

2. We keep the site as 'factually correct' as we can to maintain it's usefulness as a resource for new kilt wearers looking for facts (and opinions) about what is right and wrong.

Bottom line -

Old Timers and those of us who know better: Take the time to POLITELY correct a newbie to help them. If you're impatient b/c many people have asked the same question and you're tired of answering it, MAKE A LIST OF POLITE ANSWERS IN A WORD DOC and copy / paste them into the post. There's no reason to be snippy with a newbie. We all had to start somewhere, remember?

Newbies: Please take advice and corrections in the spirit in which they are (or should) be given - to improve the website and to help improve your knowledge of the subject and to inform you... not to degrade or insult you and your purchase.

[/soapbox mode]

ALL are welcome here to share their experiences and opinions on the garment that we love: the kilt.

[seanachie]

Steve:
I have to say to my mind your and Rocky's posts are fairly generous, you noted: "It should not matter that one of our members buys one of these kilts. It should not matter, as long as they are informed and know what they are buying." Fair enough, but it is probably is worthy to note the many of the craftsmen/women here earn their living from what they sell. I think part of the informed decision is do you feel good about potentially spending money for something that may have been made in a sweat shop and by exploited workers. And I do not mean to suggest all Asian kilts are produced this way, just that these conditions do exist. The other part being if we offered all our custom to low priced, cheaply made kilts and gear when we did need a nice tank or modern kilt craftsman such as frequent this board will have gone under. I also believe there are intangibles such as the human interaction, customer service and camraderie that develops.

I am not blameless in this, but I think my thinking and purchasing have evolved as I have become more informed, better understand the issues and come to a better general understanding. Now I need to find an excuse not to buy from the merchants who frequent this board rather than the reverse. An no I am not a person of means at all, it just means sometimes I have to wait and save a little more for something I would like. Sometimes instant gratification is not all it is cranked up to be.

[kc8ufv]

I think what BCAC is trying to say is that on this forum (and it is a term which was coined on this forum) "Tank" is used to describe a heavy weight wool 8 yard kilt. He is simply correcting your use of the term.

I don't think that warrants playing the "Kilt Police" card any more than when I correct people who call garter flashes "flashers" (which means a whole 'nother thing when you are wearing the kilt!).

You just gave me an idea for a project here, MAC. Flashes with flashers (made from EL strip)

[Pleater]

The quality of these kilts is always going to be very variable - the fabric is probably going to be the cheapest that can be found to do the job, with no regard to the way the kilt will stand up to wear.

The lucky ones will have something which is wearable and the unlucky ones will have wasted their money.

As I make garments I like to work with good quality materials so that I feel my time has been invested wisely, and I will have something that is going to last a long time and stay looking good.

I suspect that there is something which could be applied to kilt buying which is like the 'Sam Vimes theory on boots' which I posted about recently - that buying a cheap pair of boots every year costs more in the long term than one pair of long lasting expensive ones, and you are not even guaranteed dry feet.

The council of perfection is to buy the 'tank' and pass it on to the favourite grandson, it's not everyone who can do that, and not everyone wants to, but there really are wicked people out there in the real world who can't wait to part the unwary from their money.

The variability of their products helps their profits, and I suspect that they are not above having some associate post glowing reviews of an important but probably fictitious purchase just to boost things further.

If some of the old hands seem to be heavy handed in their condemnation of cheaper kilts it is possibly because they have knowledge of the really bad examples which have been sold to the unwary and want people to know about them. Those who are unduly critical don't seem to last long here - either they get teased out of revealing their prejudices, receive a quiet telling off in a back room, or wander off into the outer darkness. Even then it is rarely personal criticism of the wearer.

Of course there are those who think that quality is always desirable in all things.

Those, they make into moderators.

Anne the Pleater :ootd:

[MacMillans son]

The OP of this thread asked a valid question. The label in his kilt did not state the manufacturer. He liked the kilt and wanted to know where he could get another one. We should have given him the information.

Please, allow me.

I too own one of these type kilts, and am extremely satisfied with it for it's intended purpose. I wear it regularly when doing extended hikes, and it has served me well. If it were to get damaged, beyond being wearable, I would likely buy another just like it. As these kilts are likely manufactured by different makers, I am not sure who actually constructed it, but I bought it from these folks

http://buyakilt.com/kilts/budget-kilts

They provided prompt courteous service, and their product has provided me with a lot of great use to date without any sign of faltering.

You can purchase kilts with this same label at most Highland games here in the states, and I have noticed that they come in two different grades. I believe they are denoted by the terms "Premium" and "Standard", or something similar, and the prices reflect the differences in the feel of the material used. If I remember correctly the Premium goes for around $110 and the Standard around $65.

Best of luck and enjoy your kilting!

Regards,
Brooke

[chrisupyonder]

Most of these kilts are made by this company...
http://www.scottishwearco.com/wc_hm_qk/formal.php?id=14

The factory is in Sialkot, Pakistan. Kilts and other uniforms have been made here since a base was established in 1852 by the British Indian Army so have almost as long a history of kilt making as the UK.
I believe Gold Brothers and Buyakilt.com source their kilts from here.
In all probabilty, it would have been the British/Scottish that set up this factory in the first place.

Chris.

[Newfoundlander]

As someone who makes and sells kilts around the $100 pricepoint (ours are admittedly a little over $100 in most cases), there is nothing wrong with wanting a kilt and not being able to afford a higher priced '8 yard wool' kilt, therefore purchasing a lower priced alternative.

What I will say, with hat in hand and as respectfully as possible to the newer guys who may not know the intricacies and difference between an 8 yard wool kilt and a less expensive kilt: Please don't take 'corrections' of something you stated personally (though the 'corrections' can be occasionally stated a bit more gently). The internet is full of half truths and marketing ploys and outright falsities (supposed facts that are in fact dead wrong). On Xmarks, we try to separate the wheat from the chaff (and the truth from the false statements). We all have opinions and that is fine. However, there is a difference between an opinion and a fact. When someone states something as a fact that is incorrect, it is up to members with more experience / knowledge to correct it so that these things don't seep into the general 'truth consciousness' about kilts.

ALL are welcome here to share their experiences and opinions on the garment that we love: the kilt.

I think Rocky pretty well hit the nail on the head here. I have a great story to share that happened yesterday actually.

I went downtown to the Kilt shop here in Halifax to take a look at they're kitted wear for my Mum's Christmas gift, and to get some bakery oat cakes (I know...). This shop had these labelled kilts too for $200. I took a quick look, but alas, no information as to where they're from on the labels. I'll ask where the shop got them from on my next trip to the bakery.

Well, there was a handsome young couple in the shop and the lad was asking about getting a kilt. It was clear he had no experience with kilts. They've got a wedding coming up next summer in Australia, and he wants to be kilted. The lady at the shop gave him a general cost for an 8-yard heavyweight hand-made at MacIsaac Kiltmakers in Cape Breton. When he heard $800 give or take, I saw him inhale sharply. Than another $400 or more for a PC, plus sporran, and so on. They chatted a bit about the cost and such, and if they should just hire one instead, etc. The poor lad was overwhelmed by the cost.

I could clearly see this fellow was going to end up in a boring suit because he didn't know of the lower-cost kilt alternatives. I managed to get him aside for a little bit and said "you know, there's a lot of good, lower cost alternatives for your friends wedding." (He's not even standing). I Told him to think about a 5-yard kilt, or a well made PV kilt, and to buy a more versatile Argyll Jacket instead of a PC, or just hire the jacket this time and slowly acquire the attire. I put him onto Rocky's site and onto this forum so he can do a bit of research.

I know shops are out to stay in business, and also honestly, out to kit their customers with good, high-quality items that they'll be happy with and will last forever. But the $2000 bottom line can easily dissuade people from beginning to kilt. I know for me, I didn't go out and buy all the attire all at once. I started with my good wool kilt, and went from there (I knew I wanted a good wool tank from my days in the regiment).

So, though they're not up to standard of a hand-made wool heavyweight, I think these types of kilts are very important to have out there. And of course, some are better than others.

I think the information, points of view, and opinions in this forum are an indispensable source of good truth about the "kilted world" and is the best, bar-none, on the net. My learnings here, and my own knowledge, may have saved this young fellow from the boring trousers he would have worn, and may have got another lad in a kilt.

I think it's these things that this forum is really great for. Educating.

[DireStraitsFan]

[QUOTE=The OP of this thread asked a valid question. The label in his kilt did not state the manufacturer. He liked the kilt and wanted to know where he could get another one. We should have given him the information.[/QUOTE]

Thank you, sir. I could not, and would not, disagree with anything you've said here, and I appreciate the kindness.

[DireStraitsFan]

Please, allow me.

I too own one of these type kilts, and am extremely satisfied with it for it's intended purpose. I wear it regularly when doing extended hikes, and it has served me well. If it were to get damaged, beyond being wearable, I would likely buy another just like it. As these kilts are likely manufactured by different makers, I am not sure who actually constructed it, but I bought it from these folks

http://buyakilt.com/kilts/budget-kilts

They provided prompt courteous service, and their product has provided me with a lot of great use to date without any sign of faltering.

You can purchase kilts with this same label at most Highland games here in the states, and I have noticed that they come in two different grades. I believe they are denoted by the terms "Premium" and "Standard", or something similar, and the prices reflect the differences in the feel of the material used. If I remember correctly the Premium goes for around $110 and the Standard around $65.

Best of luck and enjoy your kilting!

Regards,
Brooke

Thank you! That was really all I was looking for. You've answered my question completely. Have a good day!

[Thomas H]

All is well that ends well.