MY KILTY SECRETS Nov 19 2006
HOW HOWIE MADE KILT A CATWALK FAVOURITE SO.. YOU WANT A JOB IN THE TARTAN INDUSTRY
By Graeme Lennox
HOWIE NICHOLSBY has almost single-handedly taken the kilt off the shortbread tin and on to the world's catwalks.
He was catapulted to the top of the fashion parade when his cool designs were paraded around the world by household names such as Ewan McGregor, Vin Diesel and Robbie Williams.
Never one to shy away from controversy, the young designer's firm 21st Century Kilts has shaken up the traditional industry with his range of designer denim, PVC and leather outfits.
But he found himself on the receiving end of criticism after Jack McConnell chose to combine one of his pinstripe numbers with a not-so-trendy Jacobean shirt. He said: "Jack's a good sport and it's good to see a politician willing to support the work of young people.
"The reason it didn't look great was the pose. He was mucking around with some of the people involved in Tartan Day in New York and all of a sudden he's plastered over every front page.
"The shirt was a mistake because he was mixing modern with traditional but I still think he looked great on the night."
The First Minister's fashion faux-pas proved to be a blip on Howie's meteoric rise to the top of the business. When you have A-list celebrities queuing up to wear your gear, you know you have arrived.
Vin Diesel was cheered at the 2003 MTV awards in Edinburgh when he wore a leather kilt and black jumper.
Robbie Williams, who owns five of Howie's creations, wowed the audience at his Hampden gig.
Howie said: "Robbie looks great in a kilt. He was the one who came up with the idea for the dog collar and I think it shows his creative side.
"Vin Diesel looked really comfortable in a chunky sweater and big boots. When I took some designs out to see him he was like 'This is the bomb. I've gotta have this'.
The Nicholsby ties with the industry stretch back three generations but Howie was initially reluctant to follow in his father's footsteps. He learned the ropes of kiltmaking during a year spent in the Royal Mile workshops of his dad's business Geoffrey (Tailor) Kiltmakers before taking a year out to go travelling. The idea for 21st Century Kilts came from a family wedding reception.
He said: "Everyone was wearing kilts but I wanted something completely different so I put together a silver PVC kilt and jacket. Some people thought I had gone mad but it made a real impact. The next one I did was made of camouflage material and I came up with 21st Century Kilts as I was making it."
Howie has strong views on the growing trade in cheap import tartan.
He said: "The people who give me grief are the ones who turn up to Scotland football games wearing something that cost £30 from China."
"Tartan has a history tracing back to African tribes and Japanese warriors and it makes me proud to see people who aren't Scottish wearing kilts. We should be honoured but we need to protect our kilt making industry from cheap, poorly-made imports."
Howie is keen to see new blood get their chance and has been instrumental in setting up an SVQ in kiltmaking for young apprentices.
In the meantime, he wants to see a more relaxed approach to kilt wearing. He said: "Eighty per cent of Scots men get married in their kilts. It might take someone like 50 Cent or Eminem to change attitudes but it could happen."
Bookmarks