heritageofscotland.com

[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

[KiltedKnight]

This could get very technical and confusing if it were really given a lot of thought, for instance; if my wife and I were on a months vacation in Scotland and during that month she and I were to conceive and she came back to America pregnant, could we not claim that our child was "Made in Scotland"?.

Chris

[auld argonian]

Hey...that's everywhere you go...Chicago is no exception...nor is Washington DC (3 t-shirts for $10), Toronto (I'd like a NICE Leafs jersey, please), etc. It's weird to me that this still even happens in this Global Village...there's still a market for Tourist Tat? Kultural Kitsch still exists? Okay...so I brought a bunch of plastic sushi replicas back from Tokyo but that was Kool Kitsch...I did pass of the wooden shoes in Holland, didn't I?

The guy that I know that has had some of the worst times bringing back souvenirs is the guy who tries to bring back a six pack of brews from where ever he visits...he has some 'splainin' to do. He once took two cases of Old Style on a flight to Philadelphia as carry on luggage...

Best

AA

[KiltedKnight]

I was never big on souvenirs though I've picked up a few in my travels as a GI, usually as a gift for my mother when she was still alive but recently, over the past few months one of my old Commanding Officers who has become a good friend over the last 35 years or so decided that since he was getting on in years and being that he retired over in Germany and the Germans wouldn't be interested in such memorabilia, he has been sending me so much in the way of curios and militaria from the mid 1940's to the near present that I'm having a hard time trying to figure out what to do with it all and he still has more to send me!

Some of the militaria was made by hand by German goldsmiths just after WWII ended and it is incredible as to the detail. Sets of coins and paper notes from many different countries, beautiful wallets made from elephant hide, some of this stuff is incredible.

I feel like a kid in a candy store but that is dampered by the fact that he is giving these treasures to me because he feels that his time may be soon. I will have a hard time finding the proper place to put these things until I too must give them away either to my sons or grandsons. I do intend to donate some of the militaria to museums of some of the Army Divisions but that will take some time to figure out what goes to which outfit. I'll need to get help on finding out where some of these patches and crests belong, it might turn into quite a task.

Chris.

[KiltFinn]

Woudn't buy from HOS ever again, 5 weeks since payment sent, and items have not shipped yet, even if there stuff is ok quality, its not worth the wait. Rating; AVOID

[Panache]

Kiltfinn,

Welcome to XMTS!

Take a moment to introduce yourself in our "Kilt Newbie" Forum

You might want to take a look at the dates of this thread's posts

Just an FYI...

::dead::


Cheers

Jamie

[starbkjrus]

Wow, I saw the title of this and was wondering why in the world David was asking that question these days.

ith: