Uk expo international

[The Wizard of BC]

OK MacGumerait, perhaps some background may help here.

Pakistan, and Sialkot in particular has a very long history of manufacturing. During the period of the British occupation they were making things for the British troops and their families. Sporting goods like badminton rackets and polo balls.
They were also very accomplished tailors and weavers. Many British uniforms were made locally as were suits, dresses and gowns. Most of the Highland uniforms were locally tailored.

Today Pakistan is one of the largest manufacturers of sporting goods, medical instruments and fabrics. Almost every surgical instrument in an American operating theatre are made there.
Pakistan is also one of the largest cloth weaving locations in the world. The garments may be sewn anywhere in the world but the fabric is probably woven in Pakistan. In fact, if you have a garment made of Cotton or a Cotton blend fabric the weaving was probably done in Pakistan.

But Pakistan is not N. America or Europe. Different culture, religion, climate, history. Different everything. And until the advent of the internet Pakistani's had little contact with Europe or elswhere. Even today most Pakistani's have never been more than 100 miles away from where they were born.

This makes for an increadably interesting blending of cultures. Here they are manufacturing things for the Traditional Scottish Highland wear market but have never experienced the culture that buys their product first hand.
For example, most Pakistani's grew up with the eastern 12 note musical scale. They hear western 8 note scale music on the radio or over the internet it sounds foriegn to them. When they tune their instruments they often use what sounds natural to them.

Today their are approximatly 250 manufactures of products for the Highland wear market. Each week I receive two or three emails from a new company or in the case of UK Expo those who have been around for almost 20 years. The problem is that most Pakistani's have never seen a Traditional Kilt worn by someone from the west other than in a magazine or on the internet. An analogy would be for someone in N. America, from Norgegian ancestry, to know how to put on a Greek Fustinela or a Japenese Kimono using only a magazine picture to go by.

And you must remember that the video I gave a link to is of a local festival. They have hundreds of festivals each year. It is not uncommon for there to be two or three in a single day. It is natural, for festivals in that part of the world, for the participants to dress in very bright colors. It is a party and they go whole hog in their festival wear.
They also happen to make kilts and bagpipes for the western market so why not use what you manufacture in your local festival.
They are not limited or restrained to what we would call Traditional Scottish Highland Wear. They are free to mix and match, add onto, just as much as they want.

What this video shows is not what we in the west call kilt wear. It's not supposed to. It is a uniquely Pakistani festival, using the products they make, in their own way.
What is also shows is their interpretation of what a kilt is. Did you notice that it is common for their kilts to be worn with the pleats in the front. Or to have the pleats go all the way around? Did you also notice that almost every kilt in the video is worn at jeans waist making the pleats hang down below the knee and in some cases even mid calf?

What the video does show though is that these products are not the same as what we call a kilt. Some are very similar and would be recognized as a kilt, but very few Pakistani's know how a traditional Tank is made.

And there is the rub. In the kilt business these are called "pub kilts". Perfect for wearing to the pub and spilling a beer on, or to the footie game as part of The Tartan Army. These kilt will look 'sort of like' a kilt.

Now, please, don't get me wrong. There are some Pakistani Kilts that are very good. Jerry at Stillwater Kilts is the master at having the Pakistani's create a garment that is very good, and very much like we expect a kilt to be. I have nothing against the Pakistani products. I do have a bit of a problem with some of the marketing but that is a subject for a whole different thread.

I hope in a long winded way to explain what you are seeing in this video. Traditional Scottish Highland Wear? No. A bunch of people having fun at a local festival dressed as fancy like as they can, using the products they make? Yep. And more power to them for that.

[MacGumerait]

OK MacGumerait, perhaps some background may help here.

Pakistan, and Sialkot in particular has a very long history of manufacturing. During the period of the British occupation they were making things for the British troops and their families. Sporting goods like badminton rackets and polo balls.
They were also very accomplished tailors and weavers. Many British uniforms were made locally as were suits, dresses and gowns. Most of the Highland uniforms were locally tailored.

Today Pakistan is one of the largest manufacturers of sporting goods, medical instruments and fabrics. Almost every surgical instrument in an American operating theatre are made there.
Pakistan is also one of the largest cloth weaving locations in the world. The garments may be sewn anywhere in the world but the fabric is probably woven in Pakistan. In fact, if you have a garment made of Cotton or a Cotton blend fabric the weaving was probably done in Pakistan.

But Pakistan is not N. America or Europe. Different culture, religion, climate, history. Different everything. And until the advent of the internet Pakistani's had little contact with Europe or elswhere. Even today most Pakistani's have never been more than 100 miles away from where they were born.

This makes for an increadably interesting blending of cultures. Here they are manufacturing things for the Traditional Scottish Highland wear market but have never experienced the culture that buys their product first hand.
For example, most Pakistani's grew up with the eastern 12 note musical scale. They hear western 8 note scale music on the radio or over the internet it sounds foriegn to them. When they tune their instruments they often use what sounds natural to them.

Today their are approximatly 250 manufactures of products for the Highland wear market. Each week I receive two or three emails from a new company or in the case of UK Expo those who have been around for almost 20 years. The problem is that most Pakistani's have never seen a Traditional Kilt worn by someone from the west other than in a magazine or on the internet. An analogy would be for someone in N. America, from Norgegian ancestry, to know how to put on a Greek Fustinela or a Japenese Kimono using only a magazine picture to go by.

And you must remember that the video I gave a link to is of a local festival. They have hundreds of festivals each year. It is not uncommon for there to be two or three in a single day. It is natural, for festivals in that part of the world, for the participants to dress in very bright colors. It is a party and they go whole hog in their festival wear.
They also happen to make kilts and bagpipes for the western market so why not use what you manufacture in your local festival.
They are not limited or restrained to what we would call Traditional Scottish Highland Wear. They are free to mix and match, add onto, just as much as they want.

What this video shows is not what we in the west call kilt wear. It's not supposed to. It is a uniquely Pakistani festival, using the products they make, in their own way.
What is also shows is their interpretation of what a kilt is. Did you notice that it is common for their kilts to be worn with the pleats in the front. Or to have the pleats go all the way around? Did you also notice that almost every kilt in the video is worn at jeans waist making the pleats hang down below the knee and in some cases even mid calf?

What the video does show though is that these products are not the same as what we call a kilt. Some are very similar and would be recognized as a kilt, but very few Pakistani's know how a traditional Tank is made.

And there is the rub. In the kilt business these are called "pub kilts". Perfect for wearing to the pub and spilling a beer on, or to the footie game as part of The Tartan Army. These kilt will look 'sort of like' a kilt.

Now, please, don't get me wrong. There are some Pakistani Kilts that are very good. Jerry at Stillwater Kilts is the master at having the Pakistani's create a garment that is very good, and very much like we expect a kilt to be. I have nothing against the Pakistani products. I do have a bit of a problem with some of the marketing but that is a subject for a whole different thread.

I hope in a long winded way to explain what you are seeing in this video. Traditional Scottish Highland Wear? No. A bunch of people having fun at a local festival dressed as fancy like as they can, using the products they make? Yep. And more power to them for that.

Steve ,

Thank you for the explanation . I hope my comments didn't annoy or irritate as that was certainly not my intent , if they did , you have my most sincere apologies .

I have a few of the Pakistani products and I have no problem with them , some items are better than the others but that is the case with all manufacturers . I do understand the cultural gap , the local festivals and the difference in piping styles .

The comments in your first post were very complimentary about the Scottish Highland Companies in Sialkot with regards to their authenticity and I thought the video was somehow meant to support their Scottish authenticity which is where my confusion came from . I thought you were intending to convey an authenticity message with the video and thought perhaps due to my own ignorance I just wasn't getting the message . I was reading it as if the comments and the video were directly connected .

Sorry for the confusion and my misunderstanding .

Best Regards , Mike