Thanks for this Nick, yet another reason to educate yourself on the state of the tartan industry in todays market. Unfortunately the city council in Edinburgh has done nothing to stop the tartan tat that seems to be consuming the Royal Mile, and until the proliferation of these types of shops is at least curbed than I see that there is little to be done about the situation.

Personally I have noticed that kilt wearers generally fall into two distinct camps, those that don't mind spending their hard earned money on quality products, and those that will spend only if it is the cheapest thing they can find. More often than not this means that they are dealing with a vendor who sells an Acrylic "kilt" as the real thing.

I would like to think of myself in the former category not the later, as I realize that kilt making is indeed an art and the garments produced by these talented people are really a labor of love. With the kind of time that goes into kilt making there are few getting rich from the proceeds. I say support your local kilt maker, not your local tat producer.