Where to order 37 kilts?

[Riverkilt]

You may wish to add Sportkilt to your list of possible vendors. They make both kilts and kilt skirts.

[Wolf]

Wow already a full page of respones thank you! I forgot how fast you can get answers in this place.
I already knew about stillwater but I'd completely forgotten about the thrifty kilts, which might work out actualy, altough the shipping costs will probably cost more than the kilts themselves. Then again there is Heritage of scotland which is in Europe but it would be too expensive (not for me but for most of my friends I'm guessing). Ordering directly from pakistan might work, but maybe a little risky...
Anyhow we need these kilts only for february (if this goes through) so we still have time... first we have exams... yuck. In the meantime I'll look into some kiltmakers sponsered by xmarks and keep you guys posted ;-)

[Chas]

Hi Wolf,

Couple of points to ponder as you are doing your exams.

37 is a lot of kilts - ask for a discount - ask for a big discount.

37 is a lot of kilts - most vendors will not have that quantity in stock, so will have to order in specially - be prepared to put down a non-returnable deposit.

37 is a lot of kilts - and takes a lot of organising and that means time. 6-10 weeks is what you might be looking at to deliver to you. The 1st of February is only 9 weeks away. You really need to get your friends organised and final numbers set THIS week.

This is a really good idea and it shouldn't be allowed to fail, all for the lack of a couple of days.

Regards

Chas

[csbdr]

None of the above.

If you want that many kilts you should contact one of the Pakistani kiltmakers. They are all located in the town of Sialkot, Pakistan, which is in the Pakistani half of the Punjab, but on the border with India. Google the location and some kilt related keywords and you should find several websites, but none of them take online orders. You have to e-mail them for a price list and pay them by international money order. Some of them will go as low as US $12 per kilt if you order at least a dozen, which should overcome the minor inconvenience of not being able to order in a few clicks.

I guess I just gave away the big secret of all the budget kilt vendors!

PS: This is where the above-mentionned vendors get their kilts, so it would be silly to use a middle man. That's all they are.

I don't know if they take Euros. They often give prices in both pounds and dollars, though. My guess is they will, because it's all money!

I'll be straight, "another forum" had a bulk order of kilts made up through a company, who "brokered" the deal to Pakistan and they came out aweful. The company we dealt with, who "brokered" the deal, is well known, and offered to use their contacts with manufacturers there to get a good price. Made the decision on price rather than quality/reputation. Range of issues including no taper to hips, aprons too narrow, no reverse pleat, multitude of weaving flaws, rips (fixed and not), pulls, buckles falling apart, cheap stiff straps, you name it, and all to be found in any given kilt. It was a real shame. I would NEVER advocate going with Pakistani construction UNLESS, it is with an established and reputable company who will stand behind their product (like Stillwater, for example). Dealing with someplace like SWK will generally offer a means of recourse if there is a problem. Right now, having dealt more or less directly with the factory, there is very little which is likely to be done to rectify the situation. So I respectfully disagree.

[wildrover]

Made the decision on price rather than quality/reputation.

As soon as I hear somebody say that, I know they learned an expensive lesson regarding the longevity of regret versus the passing satisfaction of a low price.

IIWY, I'd look at getting quotes from a few vendors here on a discounted price for 37 quality articles, and I would NOT expect them by Feb 1. I have participated in quite a few group buys over the years, and I've found in every case that impatience and rushed work only leads to poor quality...every time. Let the vendor set a finish date, and don't expect them by Feb 1...I can't stress that enough.

Also, bear in mind that it is the kilt (or miniskirt), and the tartan, that will identify you as a group (that, and you'll be a bunch of people with an obvious identifying feature)...not the size, cut, material, source, stitching, number or style of pleats, length, rise, number of buckles, or anything else. You will have a much easier time if you choose a tartan and then let your members sort out their kilts on their own. There is no reason to tell everyone to buy a 20$ kilt, if someone has the desire and money for a 100$ kilt.

More common tartans will be easier to find, too...for example, if you pick Black Watch or Royal Stewart, chances are good that several dozen vendors have a kilt on the shelf and ready to ship right this second. In addition, this spreads the workload to many vendors, and other than being good karma, increases the likelihood that you'll get 37 articles of clothing in roughly eight weeks.

Finally, and knowing full well that I might get my head bitten off here, I will say that unless you're starting a pipe band, kilts are for guys, skirts are for girls.

-Sean

[Pleater]

Finally, and knowing full well that I might get my head bitten off here, I will say that unless you're starting a pipe band, kilts are for guys, skirts are for girls.

-Sean

It might be a cultural thing - but in the North of England 50 some years ago, I wore a kilt in Winter time. I was very jealous of my sister's red tartan kilt - mine was a very practical dark one - possibly Black Watch.

Our brother in law is American, and we notice how his family is very gender conscious - our grandson has been dressed in tee shirts and denim jeans since he was two months old.

Although I don't know what is currently fashionable in Belgium, I suspect that not every girl would wish to dress in a mini skirt, even for the sake of a society.

My one attempt to purchase a ready made kilt was a dismal failure, so I am somewhat averse to the whole concept. Is there no one on the continent able and willing to make decent, budget kilts?

Anne the Pleater :ootd: