heritageofscotland.com

[Bob C]

I bought my Irish National kilt from them. No complaints.

[freddie]

I had a bad experience a few years ago. I bid on a sporran on ebay that looked really good in the pic, however what arrived was totally differant, nothing like the one in the photo. They did offer to exchange it but I decided it wasn't worth the hassel (plus the expense of sending the wrong one back). Of course this was a few years ago and things may be differant now, however that bad experience has put me off buying from them again.
In fact since I wrote this I have bought a pair of tan gillie brogues and a 5 button waistcoat from them through ebay and I have nothing but praise. The waistcoat I ordered came through a bit small but they exchanged it for a bigger size (and better quality) without a quibble. They certainly seem to have improved their oporation and I'll certainly be using them again in the future.

[RockyR]

I met them at the trade show in Glasgow and spoke to some of my Scottish suppliers about them. They do NOT have a good reputation. I can say that they had lots of Pakistani stuff at their booth and their kilts appeared to be of "pakistani quality" wool. Not the high quality stuff you're used to out of Scotland. They SAY that their kilts are made in Scotland, but I wouldn't bet on it.

Keep in mind that Scotland and the UK do not have the same standards for "made in ____" that the US does. Here, if you have a "made in the USA" tag and it's not, you can be heavily fined. To my understanding, it's not as big of a deal over there (maybe someone from the UK can clarify if they know the facts).

Their shops on the royal mile are "tourist trap" type shops. To echo someone else's comments... you get what you pay for.

[Paul Henry]

Rocky...it is true we, in the UK are not as litigious(sp) as the States, but I think you will find there be consequences for mis-attribution of country of origin!

[Big Paul]

They do have some lovely Corsets!!

[Mike1]

Keep in mind that Scotland and the UK do not have the same standards for "made in ____" that the US does.

If you start looking at how products are marked, the words 'Designed in Scotland' end up appearing a lot. I suppose that is handy to know, but it's a touch misleading, as well.

[RockyR]

If you start looking at how products are marked, the words 'Designed in Scotland' end up appearing a lot. I suppose that is handy to know, but it's a touch misleading, as well.

A TOUCH misleading?!?! Technically, KILTS were "designed in Scotland".

Is it immoral to intentionally mislead people by using phrases like that?

Another question... when is something "made in" a country? If I have the material cut, sewn and built in another country but Ironed here, can I say "made in ___"?

[bubba]

Rocky, as I recall they loosened up the regulations on that to the point if you had your kilts actually sewn somewhere else but sewed on the belt loops and tags here you can say it's made in the USA.

[Mike1]

A TOUCH misleading?!?! Technically, KILTS were "designed in Scotland".

Is it immoral to intentionally mislead people by using phrases like that?

I'm not sure about morality, but to me it is certainly unethical.

A stroll down the Royal Mile can leave you feeling depressed, if you aren't careful. So many tourists think that what is being displayed in those shops is from Scotland, when the truth of the matter is that most of it is not. All of the kilt displays are bound to lure the unsuspecting in the door, but when you start to closely examine those kilts... Some of those kilts appeared to be made of tartan mesh, with weave so loose you could toss a £2 coin through them.

I recently spent a day in Edinburgh with a pal of mine from Lanarkshire. He's very nationalist-minded and made the comment that it is a shame all the tatty, touristy shops even exist. He then made the analogy of him visiting the States and going to Texas. He asked if I would rather see him purchasing a Stetson that was made in the U.S., or an 'authentic Stetson', made in a foreign country. When you look at it from that angle, it really starts to make a lot of sense.

Not all the shops are that way and I do realize that there are Scottish-owned shops that are still earning their crust selling foreign-produced articles, so I am not trying to kick at all the touristy shops. I'm just disappointed that there are not more Scottish-produced articles being sold there.

[macwilkin]

I'm not sure about morality, but to me it is certainly unethical.

A stroll down the Royal Mile can leave you feeling depressed, if you aren't careful. So many tourists think that what is being displayed in those shops is from Scotland, when the truth of the matter is that most of it is not. All of the kilt displays are bound to lure the unsuspecting in the door, but when you start to closely examine those kilts... Some of those kilts appeared to be made of tartan mesh, with weave so loose you could toss a £2 coin through them.

I recently spent a day in Edinburgh with a pal of mine from Lanarkshire. He's very nationalist-minded and made the comment that it is a shame all the tatty, touristy shops even exist. He then made the analogy of him visiting the States and going to Texas. He asked if I would rather see him purchasing a Stetson that was made in the U.S., or an 'authentic Stetson', made in a foreign country. When you look at it from that angle, it really starts to make a lot of sense.

Not all the shops are that way and I do realize that there are Scottish-owned shops that are still earning their crust selling foreign-produced articles, so I am not trying to kick at all the touristy shops. I'm just disappointed that there are not more Scottish-produced articles being sold there.

Excellent comparison, Mike, by your mate from Lanarkshire. Makes me think of all of the "Hillbilly" gift shops here in the Ozarks with the very stereotypical images of mountain folks in overalls, shapless hats, corn-cob pipes, etc.

Cheers,

Todd