American tartans

[RockyR]

I hear what you're saying, Downunder, but selling is an active process not a passive one. An All American tartan could be sold if the sales folks would just get off their collective behinds and sell it. Salespeople aren't rewarded for twiddling their thumbs, they're rewarded for moving product. Any tartan weaver or purveyor that commits to moving an American tartan will profit.

Hmm... kind of sounds like how / why we designed our 2nd most popular selling tartan (behind Ireland's National): American Heritage.

(stated with a FIRM "wink"... I know it's not your cuppa tea and that's fine. )

[Nathan]

1) Benning Boy, I feel the same way about the Cape Breton tartan. There are tons of Cape Breton Scots, not just in Cape Breton but abroad. Folks like Riverkilt who have a connection to the Island but live somewhere else now. I think if it was produced in heavy weight cloth regularly, it would sell. Oh well...c'est la vie. I've toyed with having a crap load woven and testing my theory by selling it. If I get rid of all the tartan and profit, I was right - if not - oops. Perhaps you should put your money where your mouth is and order 200 kilts worth of the stuff and make a website. Contact kiltmakers and send out a few swatches and let them know there's a new tartan in town. Let's see if your tastes are as universal as you think.

2) Expressing your opinion is valid, but tact is also a virtue. Consider, "I find the American Heritage tartan too dark for my tastes because for me it doesn't evoke the vibrancy of the flag enough to capture the National sentiment I'm going for." That is, after all, your opinion and we're talking about taste here. There is no right or wrong with aesthetics. Calling it morose, ugly, morbid, looks like taps sounds etc... is simply insulting. People are going to think what they like about the tartan, but such unkind and emphatic language about someone's creation and a purchase that many others have made makes you look like you lack class and couth.

3) Rocky, you have shown commendable calm and tact in your responses to Benning Boy's unkind and oft repeated exclamations of vitriolic dislike for your popular tartan. I think the tartan is very handsome and I'm pleased that you are doing good business with it. Well done on both the design and the classy responses.

[RockyR]

Designing a tartan is kind of like "art". Not everyone will like all designs and that's completely fine! There's enough room in the tartan design process for multiple opinions and multiple designs. If someone doesn't like a design I produced, it doesn't hurt my feelings. I have pretty thick skin and several dozen designs to my name, so someone, somewhere, was bound to dislike one of them (heck... Kelly hates many of my designs and tells me that on a regular basis)!