East Tennessee State University Tartan Selection

[rlloyd]

http://johnsoncitypress.com/Living/a....php?id=101751
http://www.etsu.edu/tartan/

I know for most of you, this means very little, but there are at least a couple others here with roots in my area that may have not yet heard of this.
For some details on the project, you can visit the Johnson City Press link; for pictures of the potential tartans, and for voting in the near future if you would like, visit the link to the ETSU website. As someone extremely proud of my Scottish heritage, someone born less than a mile from the ETSU campus, and someone currently working on a MA in History from ETSU, I cannot be more excited about this project!

So, fellow X-Markers, which design do you prefer? While Sherrod, to my eye, most definitely looks the most "traditional", I would have to say that Gilbreath is, far and away, my favorite of the three.


Note to the mods: I wasn't entirely sure about where to place this topic; it being a current event with a link to a newspaper article, I thought the Media board would be fitting. If you think otherwise, please move it right along!

[MacMillans son]

I think I l ike the Sherrod the best. The Gilbreath is a little too yellow for me (this coming from a MacMillan! ) and the Dorsett a bit too busy.

I really like that they provide real photos of the tartan in addition to the computer generated swatches.

A nice project, for sure.

[ScotFree]

Symbolism and tradition aside, for my own personal aesthetic, I would cast my vote for Sherrod, not that the others aren't fine looking tartans.

[Riverkilt]

Whatever tartan is selected YOU may be disappointed.

When Oregon State University did this I was thrilled. But it turned out that due to LICENSING - which is the big whoop in university land these days - I can't have a kilt in the OSU tartan. The "rights" to the tartan were given to Pendleton Woolen Mills to make tartan scarfs to sell in the bookstore. After months and months of emails, pleas, appeals it turned out that the university could NOT give a mill permission to weave cloth in the university tartan so I could have it sewn into a kilt.

Even pleaded for them to make some kilts for the marching band...the license/rights to the university tartan were lawyered up so well that few can wear it.

I would start pleading for the right/freedom to have the winning tartan woven into cloth for personal kilts right now - before the right to the tartan is so restricted the best you can do is buy a tartan scarf.

Just sayin'

[cruiser348]

I like the Sherrod myself as well.
Good news is to help with the concern that Riverkilt mentioned is the link which reads "Pick Tartan Products" if you click it you can tell them what items you would be "likely to buy" if it was made available. If you'd be interested in getting it as a kilt hopefully enough like minded folks will say they'd be interested to make it happen.

[mookien]

I prefer the Gilbreath, because it is the boldest of the three and still retains a "traditional" look. A university tartan should be both bold and traditional.

[rlloyd]

@Riverkilt: In addition to what cruiser said, being one of the people working on this project, I may could pull some strings.

Also, I added a direct link to the voting page if anyone is interested, since the web design team seems to have...misplaced theirs.

[KiltedDixon]

Dorsett.

[piperdbh]

I voted for Sherrod and clicked both kilt buttons on stuff I'm likely to buy, even though I won't be buying one.
Does the University have the capacity to weave tartan?

[rlloyd]

Sorry for the delayed response. Thanks for the vote, and support of kilts in the tartan! The university does not have the ability, though it's my understanding that someone is in talks with another someone involved with fine arts about possibly obtaining such an ability via a joint departmental venture. Gosh, all this will be easier to sort out once everyone starts being on campus at roughly the same time again in a week...