What follows is personal opinion... with apologies to anyone it offends!

First, on the issue of safety, I have to agree with Mr. MacDougall that most of us don't stand near flames on a daily basis. And I think that is exactly why such garments are so dangerous. We're not instinctively aware of their danger... It's like driving on snow. If we did so daily we'd have few accidents. So it's that time when we're strutting around a trendy nightclub feeling ever so cool as the ladies are admiring our stand-out dress sense. And we forget to be aware that the low table beside us has a candle on it. You get the rest... (remember - 20 seconds!)

As for whether plastic kilts (and let's not kid ourselves, for that's what oil-derived fibres basically are) are 'real' is, I accept, a matter of opinion. If your idea of a kilt is defined by its shape, then indeed anything goes. But if your definition, like mine, encompasses ideas of tradition and authenticity, then there is surely a hierarchy of quality.

Don't get me wrong. I have a collection of kilts of my own that include denim, leather, and one-off overprinted kilt2 specials that no one else on earth has. But these are fashion garments, in natural materials (that just don't burn remotely as easily!) which extend the kilt's heritage in exciting new directions, rather than mocking it. As such they are part of the evolving tradition. Artificial wools to me are very different -- a second-rate copy of the original, designed to deceive; they add little of merit to the tradition but only ape the real thing, and badly in my opinion.

There's also the issue of provenance. Most woollen kilting fabrics are woven in Scotland, by people who understand tartan traditions, and know how to create things like a kilting selvedge. Most cheap substitute fabrics are woven in low-cost economies where no one, frankly, gives a monkey's for all that nonsense. The patterns often look close, but are often just wrong! To anyone that knows about tartan to wear the wrong sett would be a humiliating embarrassment. (Translation: think of an LA Lakers fan shouting support for the "Cakers" if you want to get the feel!) You may well not care about this, but some of us do.

Then there's the fact that by buying imported copies instead of the real thing you are helping to destroy the traditional industry. I admit some self interest here. But I also feel genuinely aggrieved on behalf of my nation knowing that if recent trends continue the culture that not only upholds authentic tradition but is also the wellspring of much innovation will simply be destroyed. Over-dramatising? If you saw the rate at which the genuine producers were collapsing in this country due to the copyists work you might not say so. Again, you may take the view that this is inevitable and saving your cash is all that counts, and so just not care. But I do.

So I doubt I'll ever wear a plastic one as to me they will always look and feel like a cheap substitute. It's the same reason I adore butter and detest margarine, which leaves a nasty acrid taste in my throat. It's like thinking a mass-produced print is as good as the original Mona Lisa, because it looks much the same from a distance. It's like saying a tribute band is as good as seeing the Stones live. It's like... oh, you get the idea.

Artificial fibres are a necessary compromise for anyone allergic to wool (which is why Scotweb / KiltStore sells expertly made polyviscose ones ourselves). But otherwise I can only see them as second best. That's my own aesthetic judgement.

And of course I know not everyone can easily afford a full traditional kilt hand-made for them. This is a luxury product. But, in my own eyes (and I suspect most lovers of Scottish tradition would say the same) I'd have far more respect when I see someone in a slightly moth-eaten second-hand example in any old tartan than in a plastic substitute for the real thing. Same price. :-)

Okay, I'm sure I've made enough enemies now... please flame me nicely!