78th Fraser tartan

[figheadair]

The kilts SFU wore for decades



Their new kilts

Surely the other way around?

The kilts SFU wore for decades


Their new kilts

[OC Richard]

Surely the other way around?

The kilts in the straightforward "ancient colours" with red-orange, pastel blue, and pastel green were AFAIK their original kilts which they've worn since the founding of the modern band in the early 1980s.

The kilts with the dark blue were adopted in 2010.

[figheadair]

Ah, so the sett? The photo is not clear enough and the 'new' one looks like a different sett.

[Steve Ashton]

Just for clarity -

When I reference the 78th Fraser Highlanders I am speaking specifically about this group -



Headquartered in Montreal, Quebec Canada with garrisons across Canada and the US.

Freedom Kilts is the kiltmaker to the Vancouver and Victoria Garrisons.

https://www.78thfrasers.org/

[OC Richard]

Ah, so the sett? The photo is not clear enough and the 'new' one looks like a different sett.

I can't find the article that appeared in the SFU newspaper in 2010 when the new tartan was introduced, but as I recall they said that the only change was in the shade of blue.

And I think the article mentioned which mill they had worked with to produce the new colour-scheme, but I can't remember which mill it was.

[figheadair]

I can't find the article that appeared in the SFU newspaper in 2010 when the new tartan was introduced, but as I recall they said that the only change was in the shade of blue.

And I think the article mentioned which mill they had worked with to produce the new colour-scheme, but I can't remember which mill it was.

Thanks for clearing that up. Not a new tartan then but a new version of their Fraser, the colours look like Lochcarron's. I'm not a fan of this colouration which appear to be 'Old Colours' more or less. The uniform paler shades do nothing for the pattern IMO. Why or why didn't they go back to basics and get Wilsons' original shades matched. Here are two pieces of their cloth from the Highland Society of London's collection c1816-20.

[OC Richard]

Wilson's colours, at least the few I've seen, are universally better than what I see woven nowadays.

SFU took the Fraser in "ancient colours" they had long worn and changed the pastel "ancient blue" to the dark "modern blue" leaving the rest the same (red-orange and seafoam green). At least that's my impression from the 2010 article and the appearance of the kilts.

And the 78th Fraser Highlanders, who also wore Fraser in "ancient colours", had theirs woven with "modern" dark blue and dark green but retained the red-orange of the "ancient" colours.

Bands order their tartan by the bolt anyhow, they might as well adjust the colours to suit themselves.

But somebody seeing these bands' current kilts might not realise that they're mere colour-variants of the same tartan.

[plaid preacher]

Sorry, I didn't think about this video earlier - it is an interview with the kiltmaker for the SFU band talking about their new kilts. I hope this helps.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddYrBy_vA3s

[OC Richard]

Thanks for that!

I don't think they ever state there which mill wove the cloth, but we know who made the kilts!

They do have a link to the article I was referencing, but when I click on the link I get directed to another place. It's the same runaround I got when I was searching that SFU site.

I think you have to be a student or faculty at SFU to access some of the archived articles.

[jhockin]

Seems that ADJ kilt makers, that made the SFU pipe band kilts, went out of business, in 2013