Dir. of Scottish Tartan Authority Criticizes Edinburgh Shops

[SnakeEyes]

You know, I was going to start something here, but I've decided just to stay out of it.

[McClef]

Some of the criticisms are indeed justified.

Of course it's a free enterprise environment and it would be difficult to ban or close down such shops but their activities could be more regulated so there is at least no confusion as to what people are actually buying.

The label "Designed in Scotland" is misleading as if it's cheap it's unlikely to have been made in Scotland. If the Scottish Parliament passed a bill enforcing an honest description of origin then people would not be under the impression that an item was actually made in Scotland.

But it's very difficult to find genuine, original, made in Scotland kilts as an off the peg item. Tourists have a need for instant gratification and often don't want to be measured and then wait for one to be made and delivered weeks or months down the line. I believe that this is why the criticised shops do well and that it's not just an issue of price.

If the more reputable establishments carried a range of made in Scotland off the peg kilts offering some of the most popular tartans (which is what the "bazaars" do except usually not wool and not made in Scotland) I believe they would be able to fight back better.

Of course they would cost more, but the quality would still speak for itself and it would still be instant gratification which is what most tourists want. And non EU tourists could still reclaim the VAT.

One can only hope that these cheaper kilt introductions will inspire at least some to go for the real McCoy at some point, I know people who have done that.

[M. A. C. Newsome]

The original article from the Tartan Herald included a side bar clarifying that most Scottish kiltmakers had no issue with the fact that inexpensive, ready-made, off the peg kilts were being offered. And really not even with the fact that they were made in Pakistan. They admit that there is a place in the market for such an item -- for children, for those looking for a "costume peice" or simply for those who cannot afford a kilt otherwise.

Their criticism has more to do with the labelling of the product leading people with the impression that these are genuine Highland kilts. The labels, which the original article pictured (and which I've seen many times at Highland Games in the US) display the words "Scottish Highland Kilt, authentic woven tartan, designed in Scotland."

The problem is that all of this is technically true. Yes, the kilt is a Scottish Highland garment. Yes, the tartan cloth is really woven (doesn't say of what material). And yes, the kilt was "designed" in Scotland. But there is nothing there to say that it is actually woven from a cheap acrylic, or that this kilt was imported in from Pakistan.

In other words, those who purchase such items can easily be misled into thinking that this is the real Scottish deal. Those of us familiar with kilts can sit back and say, "Well, what do these people expect? A kilt for only twenty pounds? Cant' they tell from the material and construction that this must be a cheap import?"

Well, no. Most people are not familiar with authentic kilts up close and personal and have no experience with this. It is easy to imagine the visitor to Scotland seeing these "kilts" and assuming that this must be what all the fuss is about. And those who care about maintaining Scotland's reputation and traditions don't want these products associated with the skill and craftsmanship of Scotland's weavers and tailors.

That's really the crix of this issue.

I thought the article was a good one, and made some very valid points. I think if any Royal Mile merchants are offended by it, it might be because it hit a little close to home.

Matt

[JerryMacP]

Whilst the newspaper reporter picked on a wee gift shop as an example, the company that the guy from the Tartans Authority was really talking about is well known to everyone in the trade in Scotland. And X Markers should really know all about them too.

They are the infamous Gold Brothers, an Asian family with no roots in Scottish heritage at all, but plenty of links to sweatshops overseas. They sell both from tat shops all over Scotland, and advertise heavily online. For example, key 'kilt' into google and their ad will probably be top of the small ads.

They operate under names like "Heritage of Scotland", "ScotlandShop Direct", "KiltsWorld.com", and their new 'luxury' brand "John Morrison" kilts. They also recently bought up the great old firm of McCalls in Edinburgh.

The reason they can afford to advertise so heavily is the ludicrously high margins they make from selling rubbish on the high street, and also selling forgeries as the real authentic thing. Almost every genuine producer in Scotland has suffered from their unscrupulous practices, whereby they get someone's copyright designs reproduced overseas for a fraction at the price, at rubbish quality. They sell these online even using the genuine producer's own photographs, and with forged labels in many cases. That's not just rumour, it's fact.

There have been countless complaints to Trading Standards, but they won't go near because they're afraid of being accused of racism. And before I'm accused of being racist myself, I'm not. I just hate the disgusting practices of these ruthless b*******s that are driving authentic producers to the wall. Cheap production overseas is one thing. Theft is another.

Here for example is an article from years ago when they first started to appear on the scene:
http://news.scotsman.com/scotland.cfm?id=1208732003

It's a really serious issue for the future of this industry, as it's destroying the industry so fast there will soon be little left in Scotland itself. If you know anyone who unwittingly has a link on their site to any of the above shops, please tell them! I've suffered from them in the past, but I'm saying no more than that!

[Monkey@Arms]

Whilst the newspaper reporter picked on a wee gift shop as an example, the company that the guy from the Tartans Authority was really talking about is well known to everyone in the trade in Scotland. And X Markers should really know all about them too.

* * *Snip * * *

Here for example is an article from years ago when they first started to appear on the scene:
http://news.scotsman.com/scotland.cfm?id=1208732003

It's a really serious issue for the future of this industry, as it's destroying the industry so fast there will soon be little left in Scotland itself. If you know anyone who unwittingly has a link on their site to any of the above shops, please tell them! I've suffered from them in the past, but I'm saying no more than that!

Thanks for the perspective and link to the newspaper article to back it up. I think we can all agree that goods should never be misrepresented.

Best regards,

Jake

[Mike1]

The problem lies in the fact that so many products in the Royal Mile 'touristy' shops are "Designed in Scotland", rather than being actually manufactured in Scotland. Tourism is big business in Scotland and it is a pity they cannot market Scottish-made products, because of all the tatty, imitation knock-offs.

[Tartan Hiker]

I have to admit that when I first walked the Royal Mile up to Edinburgh Castle I was a bit shocked at both the number and the gaudiness of many of the shops. As I became more and more unhappy my wife reminded me of what we refer to as the "Concrete TeePee" syndrome.

Basically, here in western NC, the Cherokee Indian reservation is a major tourist draw. All summer the stream of cars is greeted by members of the tribe, dressed in classic plains Indian garb complete with war chief's bonnets, standing in front of brightly painted concrete teepees.

The native Cherokee that occupied this land would have no idea what a teepee is used for and would probably have been apalled at full buckskins and eagle feather bonnets. They used very different styles of both housing and clothing. But when tourists arrive they expect to see the familiar icons of western movies, so the locals give them what they expect. To do otherwise would be financially unwise for businesses that depend on tourist dollars.

If you depend on tourist dollars you're crazy not to give the tourists what they expect and what they want. The proliferation of the "cheapy" items is a natural and predictable result. Cherokee, NC is full of these shops, but if you look hard you'll find the "real story" in a few shops, in museums, and in the people themselves. So it is in Edinburgh.

Just like my friends on the reservation, we have to respectfully understand the motivation,try to educate those who are interested, and try not to let it spoil our own enjoyment. I'm sure that, with some blatant exceptions as noted in previous posts, most of the income from these shops stays within the local economy.

Bill

[macwilkin]

We have the same thing here in the Ozarks, the ubiquitous "Hillbilly" image. You still see places that sell the tacky postcards with the "Hillbilly" family. Ozark folklorist Robert Gilmore described it this way:

I've always been more annoyed than amused by the hillbilly-postcard image of the Ozarker. You know the postcard I mean. The one tourists buy to send back to Iowa, demonstrating the stereotypical lazy mountaineer, lying in front of his falling-down shack, surrounded by a passel of grimy and lethargic young'ns. A slovenly wife slouches nearby, herself too slothful to shoo the scrawny hogs, dogs, and chickens from the rickety porch.

The Ozarks, of course, has a reputation as a laid-back place, pleasant and restful, and I suppose the hillbilly-postcard Ozarker is just a clever way of demonstrating how enjoyable and relax-lng is the life of a typical resident. The truth is, anyone who has ever tried to grow anything in the thin rocky soil of an Ozarks hillside (where our postcard-hillbilly apparently lives) knows that it's not easy. To grow enough corn to make the likker in the XXX jug by his side, our post-card-hillbilly would have to work, and work hard. Now what would that do to our image?

Bill, your post immediately reminded of our own version of the concrete tipi.

Regards,

Todd

[Hamish]

Whilst the newspaper reporter picked on a wee gift shop as an example, the company that the guy from the Tartans Authority was really talking about is well known to everyone in the trade in Scotland. And X Markers should really know all about them too.

They are the infamous Gold Brothers, an Asian family with no roots in Scottish heritage at all, but plenty of links to sweatshops overseas. They sell both from tat shops all over Scotland, and advertise heavily online. For example, key 'kilt' into google and their ad will probably be top of the small ads.

They operate under names like "Heritage of Scotland", "ScotlandShop Direct", "KiltsWorld.com", and their new 'luxury' brand "John Morrison" kilts. They also recently bought up the great old firm of McCalls in Edinburgh.

The reason they can afford to advertise so heavily is the ludicrously high margins they make from selling rubbish on the high street, and also selling forgeries as the real authentic thing. Almost every genuine producer in Scotland has suffered from their unscrupulous practices, whereby they get someone's copyright designs reproduced overseas for a fraction at the price, at rubbish quality. They sell these online even using the genuine producer's own photographs, and with forged labels in many cases. That's not just rumour, it's fact.

There have been countless complaints to Trading Standards, but they won't go near because they're afraid of being accused of racism. And before I'm accused of being racist myself, I'm not. I just hate the disgusting practices of these ruthless b*******s that are driving authentic producers to the wall. Cheap production overseas is one thing. Theft is another.

Here for example is an article from years ago when they first started to appear on the scene:
http://news.scotsman.com/scotland.cfm?id=1208732003

It's a really serious issue for the future of this industry, as it's destroying the industry so fast there will soon be little left in Scotland itself. If you know anyone who unwittingly has a link on their site to any of the above shops, please tell them! I've suffered from them in the past, but I'm saying no more than that!

Bravo, Jerry! Very well stated. I myself have been bleating about the proliferation of the 'tat' shops on The Royal Mile for some years - The ghastly Gold brothers own six on or near The Royal Mile alone, all trading under different names.

One of the better names in traditional Highland outfitting, Hector Russell, closed their shop opposite The Hub and pulled off the Royal Mile a few years ago, because they were surrounded by these shops and their business suffered. Fortunately, there are still high quality kiltmakers resident there, Geoffrey (Tailor), TFCK and Nicolson Highlandwear (a long-established independent kiltmaker but recently taken over by the St. Kilda Group)

I am meeting with Howie Nicholsby of TFCK and Geoffrey (Tailor) on Saturday, and must try to remember to ask him how his family are affected, if at all, by the tat merchants.

[IEScotsman]

I'm the kind of kilt-owner that takes pride in the "Scottishness" of the item. The whole ensemble in fact. That's why I've never been a big fan of the casual leather, PV, denim, or whatever kilt. But there is a place for those and I appreciate it...may even buy one soon.

But as kilts become more and more popular, people will buy them for the look, not the authenticity. It's sad for the industry, but they may face a backlash if they attempt to restrict where and how people make their purchases.