Interest in kilts/Scottish things, should benefit Scotland, and UK

[The Q]

A little way back Saudi Arabia banned material labeled "Dead Sea Products" they had been imported assuming they were from the Palestinian West Bank...

The were actually made in Israel....

[ScottishStuart]

Go up and down the Royal Mile and 90% of the stuff sold is made in Pakistan. Tourists come from all over the world to buy Scottish goods and they go home, unwittingly, with Pakistani stuff. In my opinion there should be a law protecting Scottish makers, along the lines of the EU's laws protecting cheese, wine, etc.

At the very least Scotland could come up with a Made In Scotland logo and mount an advertising campaign to make the public aware, and encourage shoppers to look for goods so marked.

I agree with OC Richard - really hit the nail on the head.

This short documentary video from a few years past highlights this point well: https://vimeo.com/19479495 (Apologies for some of the industrial language! )

It shows the struggle of one of our sporran suppliers with the increase of cheap products from overseas. These imports are effecting the whole highlandwear industry, from Kiltmakers and Sporran makers to Kilt accessories and Bagpipes.

[dcommini]

I do agree with many posters that buying directly from Scotland seems a bit pricey, and not something that I can do right now. I know The Celtic Croft gets some of their stuff from Scotland, and I am happy to buy some of those things when I can. Aside from that I do enjoy talking about kilts and what little I know of Scotland with other people.

[RockyR]

I reserve the right to be wrong about this...

It's my understanding that the sheep from which the wool comes are in New Zealand. The wool is spun elsewhere and dyed still elsewhere before making it to a Scottish weaver. So, "woven in Scotland" is probably as close as you'll get to 100%.

Typically, the wool comes from sheep in New Zealand / Australia (you are correct). I can't say where the yarn is spun, but it it most often dyed in the UK. Several mills have stakes in dye houses to help keep them afloat and allow access to consistent and quality yarn dying.

To a broader point being (partially) overlooked on this thread: Sold from a Scottish company does not necessarily mean Made In Scotland. There are a few companies that people have linked to or mentioned whose products are coming from their headquarters in Scotland, but are being made in Pakistan / China.

When it comes to highland wear, the old adages are often correct: "You get what you pay for" / "If it's too good to be true, it probably is"

I don't fault companies for finding the the lure of high margins on Pakistani kilts and sporrans irresistible (buy a kilt for $12 and sell it for $80), but I DO find fault with not clearly stating where the product was made. At that point, you're lying (by omission) to the consumer and taking advantage of their (potential and probable) naivety.

I'm all for the free market and capitalism, but not when it involves deception.

[Jock Scot]

Rocky.

As a Scot, a proud Scot I really dislike being associated with this kind of sharp practice. It may well be within the law of Scotland, I really don't know and it appears that it might be because its been going on for years, but it should not be.

[The Q]

Some years ago a TV programme, revealed the truth about Marks and Spencer Knickers. The cloth was made in one country, the elastic in another, they were mostly assembled in a third. with just the final trim and label put on in the UK. That however made it possible for them to put a "Made in Britain" label on them. Not long after that M&S gave up all pretence and just have thing made abroad. Sadly that put my Mother and Sister out of work as they were working in a Factory in Bo'ness producing for M&S.
Sadly there are not many that can afford hand made products, which is mostly what is made in Scotland. The days of it being economic to mass produce in the UK even "Gold Brothers" acrylic kilts are long gone.

[tpa]

Rocky.

As a Scot, a proud Scot I really dislike being associated with this kind of sharp practice. It may well be within the law of Scotland, I really don't know and it appears that it might be because its been going on for years, but it should not be.

Unfortunately Jock, this is just another instance where individual businesses are unprotected in law. Even if it was illegal, who would police it? Businesses should put their own label on their supplied goods, but none will want to disclose their supply chain to competitors by also listing the manufacturer and therein lies the problem. Large brands can afford lawyers to police their copyright, but doing it on a national scale is a totally different issue.

[Father Bill]

You know... I have a kilt (made by one of our advertisers at that) with two labels inside it. One gives credit to the mill that wove the cloth. The other label is his own.

That's integrity, John!

[tundramanq]

Early on in my kilting obsession I ran across an online retailer inferring that their goods were made in Scotland but never really stating it. I searched their contact address on the Google maps satellite imagery only to find it was a small apartment (flat)in a residential neighborhood. I searched their site's IP address using the tools I use to administrate another forum and it was hosted by a British company. The kilts and sporrans looked good in the pictures but seemed just too familiar. Found that the pictures had been poached off of someone else's web site and informed the owners of the poached sites of my find so that they can take local action on this fraud.

On line, the more legitimate retailers clearly state the percentages of fabric content for their "off the shelf" goods. The Asian goods can legally be labeled as ____ blend as in cotton blend, wool blend etc. What is in the "blend" can be scary - recycled tires?, fiber glass?, rags? what!

I wonder if the "final trim" thing has to do with import/export taxing. Several kilt makers don't pick out the fringe on kilts shipped to the US, leaving it to the buyer to do as the tax rate is much higher on a finished garment than an unfinished one.

[RockyR]

I wonder if the "final trim" thing has to do with import/export taxing. Several kilt makers don't pick out the fringe on kilts shipped to the US, leaving it to the buyer to do as the tax rate is much higher on a finished garment than an unfinished one.

That thing about not pulling out the fringe has to do (to my understanding... which is reasonably informed in this area) with the tax rules on "garments with embelishments" (and the fringe on a kilt would put it in that category) vs an unfinished garment.