This short  documentory shows our main sporran supplier and the worries and frustration that alot of industries are currently going through with the huge amount of imported goods that are supplying our shops,
Whilst this trend is on the increase it puts a large amount of pressure on traditional crafts people and there ability to compete
This film shows the day to day stress of a 4th generation family business and complete dedication to there loyal and hardworking staff in there struggle to survive
http://vimeo.com/19479495


warning this short film contains strong language and shows images that hopefully you will find disturbing !!!!!!! 



 One of the points I would like you to think about is that this is not just one business this is happening to It is all over the Uk and europe .
What can we do about it?. Think before we buy and make sure we are infact getting a high quality product and where is it made.
Our highlandwear industry has been hijacked by cheap imitations of very poor quality usually made in Pakistan and India and on Edinburgh's Historic Royal Mile has been turned into a big Junk shop with most shops selling the same cheap products at various prices and often mis sold as scottish product.
They are not sold just to tourists many people buy these inferoir quality garments. what we need to understand is where our highlandress  came from .The pride that our ancestors took in their kilts and highlandress and that one of the reasons tartan and kilts is so universal was due to our scottish regiments and the fear and reputation that the bagpipes and highlandress had on its oponents. these proud soldiers went into battle and many laid down there lives but each of them had a huge pride in the tradition and the pride that it gave to them whilst wearing it.

Today what is the cost of Pride? £20 for a non wollen, machine stitched (badly), smelly highly flamable,  made in Pakistan joke of a kilt. s lets hope we are bigger than this!!!!      

The sgian dubh we have today has evolved and is a mixture of history and myth. Sgian in Gaelic means knife, and dubh means black. The black refers to the fact it was a hidden knife or a concealed weapon and not the colour of handle.

In todays marketplace there are very ornate handles and scabbards covered in silver, pewter or gold. many are made from plastic and imported in quantity from overseas the quality of which is not high and look like a mass produced product.

The origin of the sgian dubh is said to be from the sgian achlais. the term sgian achlais meaning "arm pit dagger" or sleeve dagger which was also called"Mattucashlass".the sgain achlais was a longer than the sgian dubh and was more dagger like length and would have been made from horn or wooden and a leather sheath. Sometimes bog oak was used on the handle . Bog oak is dark brown to black in colour this is acheived natuarlly as the preserved wood soaks up the colour of the peat bog that it was found. We sell bog oak sgian dubhs and the wood has been carbondated and is approximately 6,000 years old

We assume that the sgain achlais was used to butcher meat clean, skin, dress the meat. A smaller knife the "sgain dubh" whose balde was between 3-4 inches was then used for skinning the game.

The history of taking the hidden weapon out of concealment and placing in the hose top or boot top to show your host you meant no ill will is correct. But it was a hidden dagger not the present sgian dubh. The present sgian dubh is most likely a Victorian idea. During this time many ideas of what was correct Scottish dress came into being.

The Scottish dirk (known as the Biodag in gaelic) was the weapon for everything else. It was worn proudly and prominently displayed (unlike the much more subtle and always hidden Sgian Dubh), the dirk was both a warning and a means of identification. The craftsmanship that went into these weapons was astounding many were hand carved , if not necessarily surprising when considering the amount of pride the Scots dressed themselves with.

The dirk (sometimes as long as 14 inches in length), these slim daggers were usually edged on only one side and could be wielded with great dexterity against opponents. These knives in the hands of a skilled highlander were lethal. Worn on the right side of the body, dirks were considered part of the Scotsman’s honor and would never have been used for mundane tasks like gutting fish or skinning hunting prey

Why Buy from Nicolson Kiltmakers ? 
What makes Nicolson Kiltmakers so special?

We have with our main sporran supplier who is based locally have now the largest range of quality sporrans in the market place, These sporrans range from traditional day leather sporrans in black, brown and tan , semi dress sporrans in both black and brown and evening dress sporrans in a selection of cantles Chrome, antique finish, bulldog pewter range, black polished finish and enamelled finishes. we also supply a selection of  horsehair pipe band sporrans.  I beleive this to be the most comprehensive range of qulaity sporrans available.

This  is not your typical scottish  highland dress video  check it out!!!!!!!

http://www.spadout.com/timmy/?tt_tepis=2


Timmy O'Neill  Filmed this video as part of a climbing tutorial tour that he did whilst over here last year. It is one of a sequence of videos he has made
 
 
Bio
Timmy O’Neill is America's most outrageous climber. He has set "gob-smacking" speed climbing records from Yosemite to Patagonia, and has been at the cutting-edge of the sport for over 15 years. He is a world-class slackliner, renowned building solo climber, class 5+ kayaker and dangerously fast mountain biker.

The Kilt pin is today worn on the kilt to weight the front apron down so that it does not blow around  There are lots of styles of kilt pins ranging from wooden or staghorn  kilt pin, pewter kilt pin and silver kilt pins, all of which are made locally and offer an extensive variety from which to choose

Clan crested kilt pins are a popular choice these are available in either pewter or silver. The silver crested pins can take up to 4 weeks to get through as they are not kept in stock.

Our own silversmith Norman Milne also produes a  range of brass and silver kilt pins all handmade in store and also commissioned pieces.

 

     

The Argyll jacket is the combination of the styling of a Tweed Day jacket and waistcoat but made in black barathea cloth with the standard silver celtic buttons, This stlye of jacket is rapidly becoming the most popular as it offers the ability to wear a Bowtie for formal occassions a  straight tie for less formal/day wear and the tie scrunch for weddings and special events

Paddy the face of Nicolson Kiltmakers ( our model)  has decided to do some fundraising by running 44 Marathons in 51 Days !!!!!

The total he wishes to achieve is  £100,000 , this is alot of money but is also a huge amount of effort, pain and determination that is needed to complete such a task.

I have sponsored Paddy for the Lochness Stage of this mammoth challenge

Each stage can be sponsored for £250  and there are still stages left for sponsorship alternatively you can donate by going to the link below

http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/PaddyDearlove

I shall be keeping you up to date with his training and fundraising over the period.

I hope that you will be able to help in some small way to help Paddy achieve both his ambitions . 

The Prince Charlie Jacket and 3 button waistcoat is one of the most popular and formal styles of kilt jacket it comes in various colours and fabrics. It is the evening dress or black tie jacket in highlandwear terms and can be worn with a black bow tie or white bow tie

Guide to what kilt Hose and flashes should be worn when and where  this helps keep your ettiquette correct

Brogues or Ghillie brogues can be worn during the day and the ghillie brogues are more appropriate for eveningwear.

There are five types of sporran worn today , traditional pouche, day sporran, semi dress sporran, dress sporran and military sporran.
any of these can be worn depending on the type of outfit , kilt or own personal preference.

Our extensive range of kilt outfits for hire offers an unbeatable range of jackets and kilts  with competitive prices makes this one of the best deals around

Highland games are events held throughout the year in Scotland and other countries all over the world as a way of celebrating Scottish and Celtic culture and heritage, of the Scottish Highlands.
 Certain aspects of the games are so well known as to have become Iconic to Scotland, such as the Pipes and drums,tartan,kilts, and the games and in particular theheavy events, in particular the caber tossing. While centred on competitions in piping and drumming, dancing, and Scottish heavy athletics, the games also include entertainment and exhibits related to other aspects of Scottish and Gaelic culture.

The Cowal Highland games,  which is held in Dunoon,  every August, is the largest Highland games in Scotland, attracting in the region of around 3,500 competitors and 15–20,000 spectators from around the world. however, it is dwarfed by two gatherings in the United States: the 50,000 that attend  the Grandfather Mountain Games in North Carolina. and the largest games in the world hosted by the Caledonian Club of San Francisco.—that has taken place every year since 1865  This event is currently held on Labor Day weekend in Pleasanton, California.

The kilt first appeared as the great kilt in the 16th century, a full-length garment whose upper half could be worn as a cloak draped over the shoulder, or brought up over head as a cloak. The small kilt or walking kilt (similar to the "modern" kilt) did not develop until the late 17th or early 18th century, and is essentially the bottom half of the great kilt.

traditional-scotland

The History Of Tartan



The traditional Tartan cloth, which is universally recognisable, consists of a sequence of alternating bands of coloured woollen threads, woven at right angles to each other (weft and warp). This forms visible diagonals where colours cross, giving the appearance of new, blended colours. The colour and pattern repeat is called a sett.