I agree with most of what's been said. What I'm adding isn't different, but it's not been specifically mentioned...

1. Fear of "being different" and along with that... being made fun of. Most people I meet are heavily influenced by peer pressure. Think about it... how many times do you hear this EXACT comment from a stranger:

"Man, I wish I had the b@lls to wear that" or "you've got more guts than ME"

2. Cost. Yes, the cost has come down DRASTICALLY since the making of casual kilts in non wool fabric. Yes, you can get a kilt for $75 (or a decent one for $100 or so) now instead of $500, but it's STILL not a pair of $20 jeans.

No matter what anyone says, I don't think there will be any "real looking" kilts in the "under $40 retail price range". There's simply too much fabric and labor involved. The only way that would EVER happen is after YEARS (20+) of kilts being mainstream and even then they would probably end up looking more like skirts than kilts.