Tartan tat kings go Scottish

[Phil]

There have been a few posts about our friends, the Gold Bros. and the shoddy kilts they sell - it now seems they are going up market -
http://edinburghnews.scotsman.com/to...-up.3855161.jp

[Jock Scot]

Well I suppose that they were not going to sit there "taking the flack" forever.

[sharpdressedscot]

So they moved from $40(USD) bucks to $100, I wonder what the quality is like of the latter...

[demobud]

"The maximum someone should be paying for a kilt is £200. Kiltmakers have had it too easy for too long." - Dildar Singh
That's a bit arrogant. The distinct difference between my more "budget concious" kilts and my tank is night and day. I really don't think a someone hand cutting, arranging and hand stitching a kilt from scratch is "having it easy", and I don't think $400 US is what that kind of time is worth.

[McClef]

I wonder if they are still using flammable materials to make these £50 kilts.

[auld argonian]

Oh, Lord! Will this never end?

Best

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[highlander_Daz]

I still wouldnt buy one, i want to support traditional Scots craftsmen and women, the Singhs will continue to sell Tartan tat and Turn Scots/ Highland culture as a shoddy way of lineing their pockets.

a lot of the stuff these guys sell is cheap rubbish, I find some of it offensive in the extreme.

[Galician]

I think that this shows that the Gold's feel that they have the economic clout to start taking on the regular kiltmakers. Isn't it an old economic stategy to weaken an opponent by underpricing him/her, till you can take over their business?

[auld argonian]

I think that this shows that the Gold's feel that they have the economic clout to start taking on the regular kiltmakers. Isn't it an old economic stategy to weaken an opponent by underpricing him/her, till you can take over their business?

You're absolutely right and there is nothing that anyone can do about it.

Unless a conspiracy between two or more companies to fix prices in order to drive some other competitor out takes place, it's still a free market and anything goes.

You may note, however, that there are still Jaguar, Audi, BMW and Lexus dealers managing to stay in business in spite of the Chevy, Ford, Toyota and Kia dealers that seem to be thriving all around them. Sometimes you just have to face the fact that your product has appeal to one segment of the market and you will have to kiss the other segment or segments goodbye. Mr. Nicholsby seems to have the problem of providing a quality upscale product on a street where he's surrounded by shops bearing signs that say "Cheap Kilts Here!" in big day-glo letters (I've not seen this but I'm speaking figuratively here). Further frustrating him is this problem of the kilt being a Native Scottish art form that's being crowded out by foreign made versions...thus the idea of having some kind of certification of a product made in Scotland versus one made "overseas". What does the competition do? They find a local contractor and short circuit the whole "nation of origin" thing.

Kilt Wars: The Gold Brothers Strike Back.

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[auld argonian]

...and to follow up that thought...

From a marketing standpoint, this is where Mr. Nicholsby might consider his list of celebrity clients (or getting a list of celebrity clients to act as spokespersons).

I would sure as hell not want to settle for a cheapie when I know that Ewan McGregor, for example, shops at a place just down the block where I can get the genuine article just like Ewan for a couple of bucks more. I'm certainly worthy of a real kilt just like the celebrities wear, aren't I?

Look what Michael Jordan did for gym shoes.

Now, I don't know if Mr. McGregor shops at Howie's but that's just an example for argument's sake. One would think that some of the native Scots might rally to the cause to support the Scottish National Identity of the kilt.

As a buddy of mine used to say, "Why eat hot dogs when you can have steak?"

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