Keep off our kilts: We want to copyright our tartan kilt
Go back over the centuries and you will find people in Scotland were wearing kilts even if it would have differed in style from the common modern kilt. There was even a time when the English Government banned the Scots from wearing either tartan or the kilt because of the strong pride Scots have about their national dress. However despite this close connection with Scotland anyone anywhere in the world can manufacture a skirt that looks like our Scottish Kilt and describe it as “a Scottish Kilt”.
If however you produce a bottle of sparkling wine and call it Champagne no matter how good it tastes you will feel the full force of the law charging down on you confiscating your stock and serving you with writs to stop immediately. The same legislation protects the Parmesan area of Italy preventing you form producing any foodstuff and describing it as Parmesan unless you are in the immediate area of Parmesan.
It now looks increasingly likely that this brand protection will be offered to our Scottish Kilt. An Scottish Nationalist Party Member of European Parliament has applied to the commissioners to have the Scottish Kilt granted this same type of protection. It would mean that if successful kilts can only be described as Scottish Kilts if they have been sewn by hand in Scotland from pure wool.
Low priced and poor quality kilts have in recent years been exported from mainly India and China which are being advertised as Scottish Kilts even if they have seen the light of day in Scotland. The low quality is damaging our national trade and reputation as they can easily fall apart after being worn only few times. They are also very light-weight so do not have the famous swing for which the Scottish Kilt is famous.
A professional kilt maker in Scotland will use around 8 metres of a heavy pure wool when making a average size kilt. His length is necessary to give the Scottish Kilt the weight to hang properly when worn by a man. Customers wearing the low quality lightweight kilts are then put off wearing the kilt as they look at the way it hangs on them and believe that the kilt is not designed for their figure. Whereas if they had hired a kilt professionally made in Scotland they would soon realise the kilt can look good and just as important feel right for them.
It is proposed that kilts which do not meet all three quality criteria to earn the new standard can still be imported and sold as Kilts but cannot claim to be called “Scottish Kilts”.
Similar rules already exist for whisky for example which needs to be distilled and then stored in oak barrels for at least three years before it can be called Scotch Whisky. In the same way feta cheese can only be so called if it was made in Greece, and Edam cheese whose name can only be applied if it was made in The Netherlands.
By the way we are aware that in Scotland by tradition the plural of kilt is “kilt” not “kilts” but it was easier to use the form that most people would understand rather the correct format.
If you want to experience more of the Scottish traditions you could learn about how you become part of the Scottish royalty (or at least become a Laird or Lady in future articles.
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