The New University of Lethbridge (Alberta, Canada) Tartan

[Shedlock2000]

For the last 5 years, I have been working on a project with the University of Lethbridge which would realise an official corporate tartan for the institution. After some serious negotiation, the President agreed that a tartan was in line with the University's branding and my proposal to hold a student led competition was granted such that the launch of the tartan fell inline with the 50th Anniversary of the University. The competition was open to faculty, alumni, staff, and students alike; and was run alongside and with the help of the Kilt-up 4 Cancer campaign (which is also related to the University of Lethbridge).

The competition was launched in May last year and we had nearly 200 submissions -- see the University's webpage on the event!

https://www.uleth.ca/unews/article/5...n#.WIcFFrYrK_A

Deciding between the designs was incredibly difficult and challenging. However, I am incredibly pleased with the winning design -- which was designed by Sarah Hilliard (who works in the art department at the university). There was a runner up winner in the student category which was designed by Garrett Bischoff, though it is Sarah's design which will represent the school.

https://www.uleth.ca/unews/article/u...d#.WIcFdbYrK_A

The tartan was officially registered a few days ago, and its listing can be found here:

https://www.tartanregister.gov.uk/ta...aspx?ref=11690

The competition page (which was removed when the competition closed) provided entrants with a fairly detailed history of the tartan and the wearing of the tartan, as well as information on the cultural significance of tartan; in addition to these historical data, information on male specific cancers was also provided. The entrants were charged with designing a new tartan which must contain a blue and yellow thread to respect the University of Lethbridge's colours. Any other colours could be chosen however, along with the design, the entrant was required to justify the ethos or ideology behind their creation. Sarah's submission read:

"As an alumni, it was not until the convocation ceremony that I fully realized [sic] what I had accomplished, or what my fellow graduands [sic] had accomplished as we walked together up the hill. Now that I am a staff member, convocation is when I see students for the last time before they leave to do great things, bright things with what they learned during their time at the University of Lethbridge. To me, they are the lux [light] our motto commands to go out into the world [the University's motto is 'Fiat Lux'].

I designed this tartan in direct reflection of that feeling: the colours of each faculty are represented in the narrow threads as they are in the braids of their academic dress for convocation, coming together in a bright sunburst on the dark blue U of L field. Further, the pattern is bracketed by symbolic threads of red, a framework honouring the Medicine Rock name (Nato’okotok) as given by Blackfoot Elder Bruce Wolf Child. "

Sarah's stunning design was chosen, and Paul Henry assisted in the selection of weaver, and Marton Mills were commissioned to weave the first bolt (56m of double wide) in heavyweight cloth. From this cloth, Paul was then commissioned by the University to make a selection of tartan garments including two kilts (one for me, and one for the University's Piper, Dr David Kaminski). Paul did an excellent job of producing some high quality ties, scarves, shawls, bow ties and other items and is now, I am pleased to say, responsible for all bespoke items to be ordered out of the cloth.

The new tartan was revealed at the Founder's day celebrations and with much pomp and vigour! Below are a few photos of the tartan, tartan garments, and of me sporting the new U of L tartan!



And worn down for comfort:

[Liam]

Well done Steve! Great commerative project, and a great looking tartan.

[Grizzled Ian]

In your contribution to another thread, there are couple of images of the new University of Lethbridge tartan with TARDIS themed lining in the kilt and the tie. Ever since I read about the new tartan, I have had Brig Lethbridge-Stewart in my mind's eye. Or does Lethbridge University have a Centre for Whovian Studies?

Well done on the tartan design, you must be very pleased that the effort has come to fruition.

[Shedlock2000]

In your contribution to another thread, there are couple of images of the new University of Lethbridge tartan with TARDIS themed lining in the kilt and the tie. Ever since I read about the new tartan, I have had Brig Lethbridge-Stewart in my mind's eye. Or does Lethbridge University have a Centre for Whovian Studies?

Ha! You know, I might just run the notion of a Centre of Whovian Studies by them! That sounds like a jolly good idea to me! Indeed, when I first moved to Lethbridge, I thought about the Brigadier as well! Apparently, the city gets its name from another Lethbridge, William Lethbridge (a British guy who never visited the city, but who was the president of the coal company that first settled here). On another note, I was very touched at the handling of the death of Nicholas Courtney in The Wedding of River Song.

Being a Whovian, it was obvious to me that a blue kilt (which is bigger on the inside) necessarily required a tardis lining! As I am sure you know, Paul offers a personalised lining and he assured me he'd find me something spectacular! He did not disappoint! (If you look carefully, My U of L tie also has the same lining)!

Well done on the tartan design, you must be very pleased that the effort has come to fruition.

Spectacularly thrilled -- Sarah's design is truly stunning and embodies the ethos of the University very well. I only wish that fighting the bureaucracy and general apathy at the University were not quite such a challenge! Some corporate tartans can be a bit unappealing (see the City' of Lethbridge's tartan, for example) and I was not encouraged when Paul mentioned that 8 colours is difficult to weave and can often look too busy when writ large; nevertheless, the tartan is absolutely striking and has a large enough sett to carry off the many colours (I ensured this was the case, as I was responsible for guiding the selection process).

Many thanks for your comments and thoughts -- I am very pleased that people on XMTS have been so generous in their approbation of the design.

[mm42]

What a lovely project.