The ones to look out for are the ones that are getting their names recognized by people outside of the kilting community. Utilikilt comes to mind. I don't own any of their stuff but they are masters of getting their names out there. I've had conversations with people about kilts where it inevitably turns to contemporary kilts and imagine my shock when someone who has never worn a kilt blurts out "You mean like Utilikilts?" For crying out loud, you can buy their kilts on Amazon.com. They have inspired volunteers to pimp their warez at all manner of large public gatherings like sci-fi conventions, gay pride events, etc.

There is some serious business savvy at UK. If any of the kiltmakers go bigtime and end up in trendy stores at the shopping malls, my money is on UK.

Still, I'm spoiled by working 1-on-1 directly with the kiltmakers and having them made just the way I want in a way that best fits my body style. If some of our favorite shops got too big, it would be hard to preserve that sort of relationship.