Ethics and courtesies of branching into other tartans?

[Steve Ashton]

There is the thinking - that as the vast majority of Tartan designs are not Clan specific, and that as the designing and naming of Tartans is not ancient, set down in stone thing, but a more recent concept - that Tartan designs have always been more about the fashion world side of things - as with any other fashion item anyone should be able to choose and wear any design they wish.

Today there are between 10,000 and 11,000 designs listed with The Scottish Tartans Authority. Most of the on-line Tartan design programs have thousands more that have not been listed. There are designs named for the Scottish Highland Clans. There are designs named for the Scottish Lowland families. There are designs for geographical areas and regions. There are designs for clubs and social groups. There are designs for companies and organizations. There are designs simply because the person who designed it, just wanted to try their hand at design. There are designs because a weaving mill figured out a way to do it.

Many today hold to the concept that there are really only three governing factors about which Tartan someone can, or should, wear -

1) Pick a design that you feel a connection to. That connection may be familial, club, group, organization, current area, ancestral region, your background or personal history, or even "I like the colors".

2) Know the name and a little behind the design you have chosen. Someone will ask.

3) Wear it with pride.

If anyone tries to tell you that you can ONLY wear your "Clan" tartan, or that you cannot wear a particular Tartan, then I'm afraid that I would respond with - "Show me where that Rule is written."
We each have our own reason for choosing which design we wear. It is very personal and very meaningful to each of us.
And yes, while there are some Tartan snobs out there, but there are no Tartan Cops.

Wearing Tartan instantly tells the world - This is who I am, this is where my people come from, this is how I got to where I am today. If you chose a design that, to you, shows these things you can't go wrong.

As my father's family came to N. America in the early 1800's, and one of my grandfathers listed on a census form, that his father was born in Scotland, the facts of where in Scotland or the why of his immigration have been lost, I do not wear a Scottish Highland Clan Tartan.
I have many kilts as I am a kiltmaker and wear a kilt everyday. I wear the X Marks Tartan as this forum is as close as I can get to feeling an affiliation to 'Clan'. I wear the USMC Dress Blue Tartan as I served in the Marine Corps. I wear the Victoria, City of Gardens Tartan as that is my adopted city. I wear the Company Adventurers Tartan (The original name of the Hudson's Bay Co.) as you cannot think of Canada (my adopted country) without thinking of "The Bay" and the Scots who made up the vast majority of the Company. I wear the Black Watch Tartan in the weathered colorway as I love the soft, muted look. I wear the Isle of Skye Tartan as the colors are drop-dead gorgeous. I wear the Highland Granite Tartan as it was made by Barbara Tewksbury. (It is perhaps the very first kilt made, from the first of the monochrome gray Tartan designs.)