On the left we have Jade Thirwall ofthe Littler Mix’s group taking to the stagein Kinross, Scotland, for the final night ofthis year's most successful ever T in thePark Music Festival attended by over80,000 pop fans.

On the right we have a luxuriouscreation from Carl Lagerfield paradingon the much more sedate stage of theVogue Fashion Show in Scotland’sLinlithgow Palace. This outfitadmirably demonstrates Carl’s masteryof detail with a mix of opulent tartan

and argyle patterned hose. Matchingscarf and coat trim, handbag with asporran strap, luxurious ‘ghilliebrogue’ shoes with their tassel-endedlaces and the crowning glory of thatcocky Glengarry hat !

Youngsters don’t escape being inthe tartan spotlight either - have a lookat Vogue Bambini and our homegrown Little Legs Baby Kilts on Page2.

GreatChanges

Afootat TartansAuthority

The Scottish Tartans Authority hasfor many years been quietly campaign-ing for greater recognition of itscontribution to the Scottish Economy.Not just to the tartan industry but tothe much wider economy that benefitsfrom its promotional forays into exportmarkets.

As Director Brian Wilton MBEexplains: “When it comes to exports,tartan is just a key to the door - if wecan manage to enthuse overseas storegroups and design houses on the greatbenefits of embracing the romance,tradition and public appeal of tartan,then the take-up of a whole range ofScottish products and services canfollow - knitwear, crystal, genealogyand . . . most importantly tourism . . .the benefits of which spread into amyriad small businesses in Scotland.

We are delighted to learn veryrecently that the Scottish Governmentagrees with us and has signed up to amajor injection of funding over a threeyear period. Discussions are startingon the most effective way oftranslating that vote of confidence inthe STA into further developing ourcommercial role. That may well resultin the recruitment of a dedicatedBusiness Development Manager so —watch this space!

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No. 44 July/August 2013

All things to all people!From T in the Park music festival to the Vogue fashion show in

Linlithgow Palace, tartan is truly all things to all people

Jan CrookDonation

Long-time weaver and friend JanCrook of Rohnert Park, California hasvery kindly donated to us, her extens-ive collection of books on tartan,weaving and kindred crafts — andwhat a joy they’re proving! Amongstthe collection are books of handwoventartans by Jan and a host of otherweavers which together, form analmost living example of disappearingskills.

Fascinating references andhistorical snippets on old tartans aredotted throughout her papers and thereare a few very dated ‘Shuttle Craft’magazines from the late 50’s and early60s. The photo bottom right shows abrief article on the Burns Checktogether with a small wovensample - the inclusion of suchsamples in all the subscribercopies seems to have been acharacteristic of the publishers.

The snippet on the rightreads: “Lovers of Robert Burnswill welcome the new BurnsCheck originated by Baron

Georges Marchand, senior member ofan Edinburgh firm, to mark thebicentenary of the birth of the famousScottish poet.

The design is made up of a blackand white shepherd check, suggestingthe farmer, with an overcheck ofHodden grey; the two soft green lineswhich run through this overchecksymbolise the fields and meadowswhere most of Burns’ thoughts wereborn.

Among articles on sale in Englandand other parts of the BritishCommonwealth, which have provedmost popular, are scarves, car robes,suit and coat yardages, women’shandbags, men’s deer hats, etc. Eacharticle, or yardage sold bears a labelwith the silhouette of Robert Burnsand the words, “Robert Burns check,all wool, made in Scotland.”

It’s interesting to compare thatextract with the notes we have in ourindustry-standard tartan database:

“Almost 50 years ago the lateBaron Marchand of Messrs GeorgeHarrison & Co. of Edinburghexplained to E S Harrison of Johnstonsof Elgin, how the Burns Check cameabout. He related that he had been

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Vogue Bambini“Vogue Bambini is an Italian language magazine detailing the latest in kids’fashion trends. If you want your child to be the most stylish on the street, thenbuy a single copy of Vogue Bambini and get inspiration and information onhow to achieve this. With details of the latest fashions and where to buy them,in shoes, hats, jumpers, and loads more, they’ll always be looking their smartestwith Vogue Bambini magazine.” (Advertisement)

approached by a friend from 'TheScotsman' newspaper with thesuggestion that he create a RobertBurns tartan. The first idea had been tobase it on the Campbell - a clan withwhich the Burns family wereconnected - but after much discussionit was decided more appropriate tomodel it on the Shepherd's Check. Theovercheck introduced 'the hodden greyand a' that' and a little flavour of greenfields was added. There was thoughtof calling it the 'Ayr Tartan' but thatwas discarded in favour of the presentname which more aptly celebrated thebicentenary of the poet's birth. In June1959 the Burns Federation acceptedthe design with the condition that allgoods should be made in Scotland.”

Back to Jan Crook’s generosityand to that of her friends whocontributed to the shipping costs ofgetting the collection across to us.We’re most grateful to them (see theirnames below!) and especially to Janfor her kindness. Our thoughts arewith you all the time Jan.

The Celtic region of northernSpain celebrated its 17th InternationalCeltic Festival a few weeks ago andour Director Brian Wilton - seen onthe right masquerading as a Spaniard -attended and presented the organisersand the city of Avilés with their ownspecially designed tartan.

The gift was very well receivedand the local culture representative(Senor Roman . . on the right)reciprocated with historical giftsfrom the ancient city.

Extensive press, TV and radiocoverage was evident and the tiesbetween these Spanish Celts andtheir Scottish counterparts wasgreatly strengthened and aided bybeer, wine and the potent local cider.

Work continues on convertingthe visit into some positive businessfor the Scottish weaving industry.

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Doug Cisney, Wayne Till, RandyHolmberg, Long Nguyen, Joan Elliot

Olé!

Above: The Festival Interceltico tartan goes on display. Below: The Little Cumbrae Pipe Band strut their stuff in theSpanish town of Avilés

Below: The Asturian drummer Migueland his piping colleagues.

Dalai Lama. . .football fan?

We were recently asked toidentify the tartan scarf wornhere by the Dalai Lamaduring his 2012 visit toScotland. To our surprise itturned out to be MotherwellFootball Club! Has divinesupport helped them at all?

New GlasgowNova Scotia

Canadian Councillor Troy MacCullochcontacted us recently the early 2000’s the Mayor of NewGlasgow in Nova Scotia visited the‘old’ Glasgow in Scotland and waspresented with a tartan that she wastold was the ‘New Glasgow’ that beenregistered by the City of Glasgow(Scotland). No record of any such registrationcould be found and the Authority isnow helping New Glasgow to add it to the official Scottish Register ofTartans.Keen tartan watchers will spot that theNew Glasgow tartan is the traditional1790 Glasgow ‘rock and wheel’ tartanfrom Wilsons of Bannockburn withthe simple addition of a white stripe.

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Left: It can’t be often that a stag canbe sighted grazing on Loch Shiel withthe famous Glenfinnan Monumenttowering in the background, but ourintrepid photographer (whose day jobis as our Director) was there andcaptured it for us!

Modifying thefamiliarsaying wecome up with “The road tohell is pavedwith lateTartanHeralds.”Once again the volume of work andoverseas visits have taken their tollof timeous Tartan Heralds forwhich we must apologise. With allthe exciting things going on in theTartans Authority at the moment,we hope the occasional late Heraldis not too high a price to pay.

Special AirServiceTartan

We are told by Scotland onSunday that the style-conscious SASsoldier will soon be able to boast a kiltas part of his wardrobe after a tartanwas registered for the regiment.

It was created by the Perth-basedHouse of Edgar, where staff admittedthat the commissioning process hadbeen shrouded in mystery.

Blair McNaughton, managingdirector at the House of Edgar's parentcompany McNaughton Holdings Ltd,told Scotland on Sunday he personallyhad not realised that the firm had beencommissioned by the elite regimentuntil contacted last week.

McNaughton said: “Initially wewere not aware that we were workingfor the SAS. “We have been workingon the tartan for about six months andwe put forward a number of designs toour client who then put them forwardto the regiment and the one that has

been registered is the one theyselected. I don’t know how –presumably by secret ballot.” Headded: “We are always astonished asto where requests for tartans comefrom and we are chuffed to bits for our

design to be selected by the SAS.”

The tartan is predominantly inOxford blue, one of the two SAScolours, with lighter blue and black,white and green.

The Scottish Register of Tartansentry states: “[This tartan is] theofficial regimental tartan for the -Special Air Service Regiment,approved by the various bodies withinthe regimental structure.”

The SAS was founded by a groupof military leaders includingLieutenant Archibald David Stirling, asupplementary reserve officer of theScots Guards, in 1941 during theSecond World War, when it wasknown as the SAS Brigade.

Tasked to fight secret battles farbehind enemy lines the world famousregimental motto is “Who DaresWins”. The regiment itself has areputation for maintaining radiosilence on high level operationsaround the world.

Monochrome KateAccording to the Sun newspaper “KateMoss smoulders in a checked PVCdress with new brunette locks in herlatest shoot.”

That looks very much likeMenzies black and white to us - said tobe regarded as the clan’s mourningtartan. Nothing miserable about Katein it however!

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Mad forPlaid

It was tartan . . tartan . .everywhere on Brian Wilton’s recentthree-day whirlwind visit to BrooksBrothers annual Envision Conferencein Connecticut. Attended by some 750staff representatives from around theworld the Envision conference is anannual briefing on the company’sprogress and future plans.

A sizeable part of its plans arefocussed on the Brooks BrothersSignature Tartan which we’ve featuredin the Herald before. However . . .until now we hadn’t seen the range ofproducts being rolled out in theimminent launch. A launch, by theway, that was originally scheduled forlast October until Hurricane Sandy putan end to the event!

Brian’s part in Envision 2013 wasto brief 350 key personnel in batcheson the history, development and globalsymbolism of tartan - paying particularattention to his design rationale for theBrooks tartan.

_______________________

Top left: just a small selection ofmerchandise in the new tartan - brogues,ties, belts, hats, umbrellas, trousers, handbaggage & slippers.

Left: An iconic photoshoot in Scotlandthat is receiving widespread coverage inUS publications.

Top this column: Supplementing large‘Mad for Plaid’ button badges (not shownhere) were these very popular twin flag pinbadges backed by a small scrap of theSignature tartan. This striking promotionalidea was first used by the STA in Japanlast year where it proved most effective.

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Above: A striking piece of personalluggage in the BB Signature tartan.

Below: Lined gum boots, a plaited beltand a highly desirable trapper’s hat addeven more to the Signature collection.

The STA will again be present atthe major launch of the tartan in lateSeptember and they’ll be joined bycolleagues from Brooks Brothers’instore Highlandwear specialistsKinloch Anderson, Hawick Knitwear,Johnstons of Elgin, other Scottishcompanies and representatives fromScottish Enterprise and ScottishDevelopment International - all ofwhom have been instrumental inhelping to generate the Americanstore’s mega-spend in Scotland.

Tartan and its associated uniqueand authentic heritage has been thecatalyst and key component supportedby SE and SDI and the formula is

being replicated with other major storegroups whenever the opportunityarises.

WinthropUniversity Tartan

WU President Anthony JDiGiorgio advanced the idea for aunique tartan design for WinthropUniversity and while searching forinspiration, designer Beth Meltonbecame aware of industrialist AndrewCarnegie’s familial ties to weaving inScotland. Beth is also a weaver and isoften influenced by historical ties totextiles as well as the physicality ofhistoric structures. Interestingly, oneof Carnegie’s philanthropic efforts wasthe establishment of libraries, andWinthrop’s campus is home to aCarnegie library. Therefore, shethought it fitting that Carnegie’sScottish weaving heritage and thephysical aspects of the building madepossible by his philanthropycontributed directly to Winthrop’startan design.

Beth told us: “I was commissionedto weave two dozen scarves for theuniversity dignitaries and never once

tired of weaving the design. I thenscaled up the sett and wove a shawl,entered it in Palmetto Hands (a juried

fine craft exhibition) and wonan honorable mention and alsowas selected to be in thetraveling show through theSouth Carolina State Museum.

Well done Beth - we needmore handloom weavers likethis in Scotland - who’s up tothe challenge?

_________________

A Reader’s letter

I thought the article on the lateEnid Inch was very moving. Iwas privileged to meet MissInch twice before her passing.Indeed, on one of thoseoccasions I was fortunateenough to be present with herin the very weaving shedpictured in the article. As amember of Fredericton’sweaving community, I can saythat Miss Inch is held in greatreverence - as much for herhumility and friendly manneras for her undoubted skill as aweaver. We are much enrichedfor having had the benefit ofher presence among us.

Regards,Keith McCormick

Thank you Keith - it’s so rare that weget any feedback from readers and itsdoubly pleasurable to hear from some onewho encountered the almost legendaryEnid Inch. Ed.

$3,300 BargainThe Coco Channel sporran!

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Tartan Spotters -a Challenge!

STA member and inveterateresearcher Willie Scobie alerted us tothis interesting topic:

“ I was watching a DVD of a BBCdocumentary last night. In one scene itshowed soldiers of the Indian Armymarching in a procession to the sourceof the Ganges. I identified the piper'sregimental badge as that of theGarhwal Rifles. What surprised mewas the brightness of their tartan(s)”

What are those tartans?

The Good OldDays

How about that for price then? 9/- a yard - 45p! From the cover of anold scrap book donated to the TartansAuthority_______________________________

Tottering TartanNicki Minaj is featured in the August2013 issue of Marie Claire wearingNicholas Kirkwood tartan peep-toesandal booties. This shoe was createdexclusively for Moda Operandifeaturing a wool tartan plaid print, starstudded embellishment and elasticsling back strap.

Reorganisation is afoot at theTartans Authority in Crieff with theclosure of the retail shop. Despitebeing highly praised by very manydomestic and overseas visitors, itjust wasn’t generating sufficientturnover to justify the time beingdevoted to it.

So . . . the space that’s beenfreed up is being put to excellent useby moving the Authority’sever-growing library of books andarchival records. The opportunity isbeing taken to absorb recentlyacquired collections such as JanCrook’s and to categorise all books,papers and woven samples andattach library labels to everything.

Here you can see the start of theprocess - piles of books everywhere!

_________________________

Tail PieceWe’ve kept the most interesting bit ofnews until the end . . . on the right youcould be seeing the future ‘Internat-ional Tartan & Heritage Centre’.At the moment it’s the semi-derelictDrummond Arms Hotel in Crieff - thespot where Bonnie Prince Charlie heldhis last war council before the disasterat Culloden. STA Governors havegiven the green light to continueenquiries as to its feasibility, and probono work is underway from a leading

architect and a museum specialist.Keep an eye out but don’t hold yourbreath - such a project has countlesshurdles and will be quite a few years -and millions of £s away. But . . .we’ve started the journey!

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Organised ChaosTartans Authority Library on the move.