Don’t Touch Our Scottish Kilts
If you approached one hundred people and asked each of them to name something Scottish the odds are that almost everyone of them would name the tartan Kilt. Such is the close connection between the kilt and the Scottish people that Scots were banned by the foreign English government from wearing the kilt after a rebellion. 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”.
Yet you try that with a bottle of sparkling wine and call it champagne and unless it was made using the traditional method anywhere outside a relatively small area of France and you will have the whole European legal system come down on you like a ton of bricks. It is the same with Parmesan that can only be made in a small area of Italy.
The Scottish Kilt could well be granted the same protection in law in the relatively near future. An application has been made to the European parliament to have the Scottish Kilt granted this same designated area protection. This would mean only kilts that have been sewn by hand in Scotland and made from pure wool could be described as Scottish Kilts.
Over the last few years we have seen huge increases in the number of kilts coming into the country from the far east which are then being described as Scottish Kilts. The effect of these cheap imports is damaging our national reputation for quality as people are buying these “Scottish kilts” believing them to have been made in Scotland and then seeing them fall apart after only being worn two or three times.
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. The cheaper imports being made of a very light material do not hang right and many men buying the cheaper version are being put off ever wearing the real Scottish kilt entirely because of its cheap counterparts poor style and image.
Kilts irrespective of origin do not meet all three of the standards may still be sold as kilts but will denied the right 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. Greece have already been able to obtain similar protection for their Feta Cheese which cannot be made outside of Greece whilst Edam cheese can only be produced in The Netherlands.
Yes before you write and complain we are aware that the plural form of kilt is kilt NOT kilts but we believed that more people would understand if we spoke about kilts rather than the proper Kilt.
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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