What Is ‘Made in Scotland’ Worth?

[OC Richard]

No one shopping for a Rolls would be fooled into buying a Nissan.

Yet thousands of people buy kilts and sporrans in Edinburgh tat shops thinking that they're getting Scottish-made items.

I meet these people all the time. They're wanting a kilt for their upcoming event and where better to buy a genuine kilt than in Scotland? And there they are, in their wrinkly acrylic crudely machine-sewn kilt and ghastly sporran.

Unlike here in the USA, seems that in Scotland there are no laws requiring all clothing to be labelled with country of origin, a detailed breakdown of fabric content, and laundering instructions.

It's even more insidious with bagpipes. I cringe every time a new student says that they bought their bagpipe in Scotland. It's always a Pakistani bagpipe. Every one of these people think that they bought a legitimate Scottish-made pipe.

And back to the Nissan/Rolls Royce analogy, when somebody buys a Nissan they're getting an actual working vehicle. Even when somebody buys a knockoff Gucci purse they're still getting a functional purse. Not so when people buy Pakistani bagpipes, because they're not getting a functional musical instrument, but rather a nonfunctional prop, an Instrument-Shaped Object.

Ebay makes it worse because Pakistani sellers can blatantly lie, like this

https://www.ebay.com/itm/38895886949...ndition=4%7C10

[Jock Scot]

Yet thousands of people buy kilts and sporrans in Edinburgh tat shops thinking that they're getting Scottish-made items.

I meet these people all the time. They're wanting a kilt for their upcoming event and where better to buy a genuine kilt than in Scotland? And there they are, in their wrinkly acrylic crudely machine-sewn kilt and ghastly sporran.

Unlike here in the USA, seems that in Scotland there are no laws requiring all clothing to be labelled with country of origin, a detailed breakdown of fabric content, and laundering instructions.

It's even more insidious with bagpipes. I cringe every time a new student says that they bought their bagpipe in Scotland. It's always a Pakistani bagpipe. Every one of these people think that they bought a legitimate Scottish-made pipe.

And back to the Nissan/Rolls Royce analogy, when somebody buys a Nissan they're getting an actual working vehicle. Even when somebody buys a knockoff Gucci purse they're still getting a functional purse. Not so when people buy Pakistani bagpipes, because they're not getting a functional musical instrument, but rather a nonfunctional prop, an Instrument-Shaped Object.

Ebay makes it worse because Pakistani sellers can blatantly lie, like this

https://www.ebay.com/itm/38895886949...ndition=4%7C10

Personally, I would always purchase(UK) a bespoke kilt and kilt jacket. It is not a 'snobby' thing at all, it's just that I like my kilts, suits, shotguns to fit properly. Even if I gain or loose a few pounds they still fit properly. Which is why I don't have a tartan collection in kilt form filling my wardrobe! And, a lot less expensive in the long run. So I have no personal experience of Pakistani kilt attire which is what I often, I assume, see worn when I am out and about. There is a huge difference in look between one and the other.

I am no piper, so I cannot really comment from personal experience, but your comments above about Pakistani pipes being sold here really concern me.

[SF Jeff]

I am no piper, so I cannot really comment from personal experience, but your comments above about Pakistani pipes being sold here really concern me.

It's a problem if Scottish retailers are selling this stuff, whether it's attire or pipes. Any experienced piper can tell Pakistan pipes a mile away, but most tourists buying attire don't have an eye for quality and probably just assume it's made in Scotland if they are buying it in Scotland. Or worse, being told it's made in Scotland when it's not.

[OC Richard]

Any experienced piper can tell Pakistan pipes a mile away...

Yes they can, but sadly the people buying the pipes aren't experienced pipers, they're people (usually Americans) who have always wanted to give the pipes a go, and when in Scotland Itself buy a bagpipe that they imagine surely must be Scottish-made.

Or the parent (usually American) who takes the opportunity while in Scotland to buy a set for their child, or nephew or niece, who has long expressed an interest in the pipes.

It's like the foreign tourist who, in a Native American jewellry shop here in the American Southwest, purchases an "authentic Native American" bracelet or necklace made in China.

BTW there are some Pakistani bagpipes which are more difficult to suss out. Yes we see all the super-cheap Sheesham Wood pipes with nasty aluminium mounts, but the Pakistani makers also make pipes from Ebony and African Blackwood, with real ivory and hand-engraved Sterling Silver mounts. These can be difficult, even for experts, to distinguish in photos from legit pipes.

Until you stick reeds in there and try to play them! Then it's revealed that they're an ISO, not a musical instrument.