Tartan and kilts

• It's a piece of woven cloth made up of horizontal and vertical stripes in different colours, on a coloured background 
• The interwoven stripes are known as a “sett” 
• Originally, clanspeople used local plants, mosses and berries to dye the wool 
• There are over 7,000 unique tartans on record – even the Obamas and Hello Kitty have their own tartan!   

Where did tartan come from?

Despite its close association with Scotland, the earliest sample of tartan was actually found in China from around 3000 BC. Its Scottish roots run deep though, dating back to the 3rd or 4th century. We’ve been using it to make kilts, bagpipes, rebellions and fashion-statements ever since.   

The Jacobite Rebellion

Fast forward a few centuries and we start to see tartan really exploding on the scene. Picture windswept romantics in the Highland countryside swathed in glorious Scottish tartan from head to toe. This is a popular conception of Scottish clans and their tartan, but it was the result of some clever Jacobite propaganda that’s added to myth and legend over the years.  

Bonnie Prince Charlie, Scotland’s roguish Jacobite hero, arrived on Scottish soil fully clad in tartan in 1745, using fashion to draw together the ancient strength of the Scottish clans to fight for the throne. Although the Jacobite rebellion was ultimately unsuccessful, tartan became so powerfully interwoven with the idea of Scottish identity and rebellion that it was banned by the British Government following the Battle of Culloden in 1746. 

Tartan today  

But tartan isn’t just about the past; it continues to weave its story across Scotland and the globe.  

It has always been at the forefront of modernity – the first ever colour photo was of a tartan ribbon and it’s even travelled to space! 

Tartan is just as easily found on a high fashion runway as part of school uniforms. In more recent years, some of the world’s biggest names in fashion have gravitated towards this fabric for its bold look and history of rebellion, from Chanel and Dior to Vivienne Westwood and Alexander McQueen.  

Its uncanny ability to express tradition or undermine it – sometimes even at the same time – means it’s been powerfully adopted by causes and groups to represent their values and social conscience. It has connected LGBTQ+ communities with a shared identity, a tartan design was registered to represent the climate change summit COP26, and it’s been used to raise awareness of MND in honour of the legendary rugby player, Doddie Weir. There’s even a Homeless tartan – 20% of all sales of this fabric go to the charity Shelter Scotland.

From the poor to the rich, the franchised to the disenfranchised, tartan is a fabulously diverse, playful and complex material for everybody.   

What types of tartan are there? 

When choosing your kilt or tartan, there are a few different options to consider: 

• Ancient – vegetable dyes are used to give softer colours. This mimics the way tartan used to be produced (using natural dyes) before chemical dyes were invented. 
• Modern – modern chemical dyes are used to give darker colours. 
• Reproduction/weathered – colours are reproduced from weathered tartan historically found in homes or on battlefields. 
• Dress – replacing one of the original under check colours with white 
• Hunting – replacing one of the original under check colours with brown, blue or green 

Found your tartan? Got your outfit sorted? Find places in Scotland you can wear it to, from weddings to ceilidhs to Highland Games. Make sure to share your pictures of Scotland with us using #OnlyinScotland!