Hands off our kilts: Scots bid to copyright their national dress

[dcommini]

To Scotland, it is as important as Parmesan is to Italy and champagne is to France. Now the national dress, the kilt, could soon get the same type of brand protection as its European counterparts.

Just as Parmesan if it is made in certain regions of Italy and sparkling wine can only be called champagne if it is made in the area of the same name in France, the traditional kilt is at the centre of a campaign which, if won, would mean that only those made in Scotland could call themselves Scottish kilts.

Read the rest here.

What do our resident stateside kilt makers think/feel about this? The article also states that to be considered a Scottish kilt the garments must be handsewn from 100% wool (and obviously, made in Scotland). Do you think that all of this is really necessary? Would this potentially hurt your business in any way?

[sailortats]

This article is now making the rounds on Facebook:
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/hands-off-our-kilts-scots-bid-to-copyright-their-national-dress-789340.html

[Father Bill]

Hmm!

Well, if I read the article correctly, the only word that's proposed for protection is "Scottish". All other similar garments would still be called "kilts".

Having said that, two thoughts come to mind:

1. Good luck with that.

2. Couldn't the highland areas whence came first the kilt as we love it then be able to insist that they alone could use the title since the kilt wasn't originally a "national" but rather a "regional" garment?

I'll be wearing mine (including my SCOTTISH kilt) regardless of what it's called. They're all hand-stitched, all wool garments, hand-crafted with Locharron wool; two manufactured in Canada. The lesser quality one (sorry to have to say it) was finished in a rush in Scotland and had to be re-finished here in Canada before it distorted and fell apart.

Hmm indeed!

[MacKenzie]

"This campaign has come about through years of frustration. I grew tired of seeing poor quality kilts selling in shops on the high street for £20 and calling themselves Scottish kilts.
"They look terrible – it's like someone wearing a dishcloth. People should feel pride in wearing a real Scottish kilt, but people are being put off kilts completely because the cheap ones look so bad."

I certainly understand Mr. Nicholsby's frustration, and have seen it expressed here many times by kilt makers and kilt wearers alike.

Of the North American kilt makers I checked above, I didn't see one promoting themselves as making "Scottish" kilts.

Were it up to me, I'd be inclined to grant the PDO status.

[Taskr]

Not a bad move at all the protect the 'Scottish' kilt. I don't have a Scottish kilt as it was not made in Scotland. Nor is there any such tag on it. It's a kilt. Well made here in Canada.
A reasonable proposal to remove 'Scottish' from something not made there, IMO.

[Mikilt]

I can see his point.

I am not a purist. As long as quality wool is in the hands of a skilled kiltmaker, I don't care where it's sewn. I actually prefer to have it sewn in North America. It wouldn't make a difference to me if my kilts are considered Scottish kilts because of where they are sewn. I know that my kiltmakers source their materials in Scotland. I wear tartan and I endeavor to wear it smartly.

But then, I have no Scottish blood of which I am aware. I wholly respect the Scottish sense of national pride, but I cannot pretend to feel the same as a native Scot.

[ScottishStuart]

It may be worth noting that this is an old story from 2011.

[terry m]

I can see the point of the article but I know that my own kilt was ordered from Scotland but not manufactured there, however having said that it is very smart and authentic looking. Not all of us can afford a genuine pure wool hand made kilt from the highlands of Scotland. I am grateful and proud of what I have.
Where do you draw the line, are we including the sporran, hose, sgian dubh, belt and buckle, bonnet etc? Do the shoes have to be made in Scotland too?
I can hear the kilt police now, "Well....you may have the right to wear the tartan on your kilt, but was it all made in the Highlands of Scotland within site of Loch Ness on a full moon to the sound of the pipes?" Lol.
The bottom line is I think, if you see a cheap nasty looking product would you buy it? No.
Copyright is all well and good but how do you enforce it. Could you prosecute every one with a kilt you don't approve of?

[Mike S]

I fully understand protecting the weaving of tartan and tweed as a national treasure, and keeping it based in Scotland. However suggesting that a kilt has to be made IN Scotland to even use the term "Scottish" or else, is rubbish. Many of my best kilts are made by expert craft-persons of Scottish descent, and trained by Scots, but who are North Americans by birth. I consider that 100% qualified under the romantic notion of "touched by Scottish hands".

Frankly, many of the vendors and traditions that this sort of attitude is presumably engineered to protect within the U.K. are the very same ones who adulterated the Highland Apparel industry and standards by hawking the cheap Asian made goods they are now rebuking. I understand that this article is targeting the junk trade of goods, but it could easily extend itself to quality makers outside Scotland en mass. Don't penalize the legitimate craftsmen abroad who have equally high standards to the ideal, or in many cases BETTER quality.

Frankly, I would rather deal with a known maker within the U.S. and Canada who is accountable and has a glowing reputation (like many of the purveyors who sponsor this forum, and from whom I solicit my business) and will deal with you personally, than take a chance on a faceless entity when ordering overseas, which is often the case. Were I living in the U.K., I would order domestically for the same reasons.

If you know and deal with a trusted U.K. Scottish artisan whom you can depend on to do the actual construction his/her self, then by all means do so. An assembly line sort of situation, not for me.

As Father Bill suggests, I suspect the majority of the hoopla from whom this is originating is OUTSIDE the Highlands proper. And it is in the Highlands of Scotland where technically history can lay legitimate claim to the kilt, if one is to truly argue the point.

[Steve Ashton]

The article in the "Independent" referenced in the first post to this thread is dated 23 Oct. 2011.

This is old news. This bill did not pass. Not to say that another could not be introduced.