From a Kilt manufacturers side of the story.

The ads in the Outdoor Industry listings are just that, advertisements.
Also note that Freedom Kilts is listed there.
We pay for that exposure. And it ain't cheap.

Earlier this year, many of us in the industry were contacted by the Outdoor Industry website folks, and asked if we would like to advertise on their site.

I thought, "what the heck, it can't hurt to run an ad for a year and see how it goes.".

So far I have had two hits on my website from this listing. Not a very good return for my money so far.

The only way to capitalize on a site like this is to subcontract all the sewing out to someone else and have everything made to pants size.
The reason I probably won't get a lot of business from this ad is because I do custom made Kilts and cannot produce them by the hundreds or thousands like some others.


I find it sort of strange that early in the history of X Marks there was a lot of talk about the mainstreaming of Kilts and how that would bring the price down to the cost of jeans.
Then we had just that sort of business pop up. In the Pakistani Kilt market.
With the access to a labor market that could work for far less than the working wage here in the Western world, and access to fabrics that are able to be produced at a fraction of the cost of Kilt wool, the 50 or so manufacturers in Pakistan are flooding the market with garments at about the cost of jeans.
And what happens, now everyone complains about no custom fit available, fake Tartans, Kilts bursting into flame, and unscrupulous marketing practices.

Yes, a Kilt like garment can be made for the cost of a pair of jeans and sold in WalMart. But what do you get for your $50.00?
Jeans are all made overseas. The quality has been going down steadily for years now. And the standard sizing and fit of jeans has altered men's perception of how to wear clothing.

As an example of the effect of buying a garment that is made to fit a "standard" or "average" shape, by wearing a garment in the manner some designer thinks it should fit, and buying into the advertising slogans, we have men today who have never worn a truly comfortable garment. Who think their waist is down around their hips. Who think stiff Denim is the apex of comfortable. Who have never wrapped a tape measure around themselves and actually think that their size is a 32.

It really is a double-edged sword. You can have inexpensive. But are you willing to give up something else? Something like jobs. Something like a fit that actually is your shape and not that of a mannikin. Fabrics that are woven to the specifications of actual registered Tartans. Fabrics that will last more than a couple of years.

I am not against the mainstreaming of the Kilt. I would love for this garment to become more accepted in the world. But I think I'll stay with doing what I'm doing and leave the mass production to others.