Gauging Interest - "Modern" Sporrans

[KiltedViking]

While I realize that the esteemed membership of this forum is only a small percentage of Kilt wearers, I don't have anywhere else to ask... I've been communicating with a manufacturer of Kilts & accessories. To date, he's made me 3 kilts, that I'm very happy with. We sporadically email back and forth (he's very responsive) and lately we've been talking about Sporrans, Belts and the like. He's willing to make me a "traditional looking" Sporran, out of canvas and/or nylon. Or whatever size and shape I ask for, really. I'm thinking right about the "standard" size & shape. Before I go completely down the proverbial rabbit hole, I wanted to see what interest, if any, there might be in such a product. At present, I don't have any pics and this isn't a whole lot to go on... but what do y'all think of the general idea? International shipping is very expensive, so the more I can order at one time, the better.

[Hirsty]

http://www.scottish-sporrans.co.uk

An alternative is Marcus in Perth (the son of Janet Eagleton & Son). He does some amazing sporrans.

I have more a traditional daywear and formal sporrans made by him but he does some fantastic contemporary pieces. The Irn-Bru sporran comes to mind as does the one made out of a SRU rugby ball. I think I'm going to have to buy one of each next time I'm home.

[LKM]

A kilt maker is far more specialized then a bag maker; and a sporran is essentially a bag to hold your stuff. If you are looking at canvas, nylon, denim, or similar materials you can probable find someone at a local craft store/fair/show, local reenactment groups, or even a LARP group that can make it easily and inexpensively for you. I have seen people doing LARP and cosplay get approached by reenactors because of the look and quality of what they have made.

For materials I would suggest that if you do not go with leather get a heavy duty upholstery material. It is worth being picky about the material if you want the sporran to last. I have made some non-leather belt pouches and other renaissance fair style items that have stood the test of time and they are heavy weaves or upholstery fabric. I have not found a material that, at least for me, handles the wear and tear I give it as long or good as real leather.

In my experience, the less classic the look the harder the sale can be. There are always exceptions to this. Sometimes mixing a classic look with a personal or modern twist can become something that attracts people. There is a post on here about sporran alternatives and a few older threads that do show that there is some interest in non-traditional or non-classic sporrans.