Dir. of Scottish Tartan Authority Criticizes Edinburgh Shops

[JerryMacP]

Whilst the newspaper reporter picked on a wee gift shop as an example, the company that the guy from the Tartans Authority was really talking about is well known to everyone in the trade in Scotland. And X Markers should really know all about them too.

They are the infamous Gold Brothers, an Asian family with no roots in Scottish heritage at all, but plenty of links to sweatshops overseas. They sell both from tat shops all over Scotland, and advertise heavily online. For example, key 'kilt' into google and their ad will probably be top of the small ads.

They operate under names like "Heritage of Scotland", "ScotlandShop Direct", "KiltsWorld.com", and their new 'luxury' brand "John Morrison" kilts. They also recently bought up the great old firm of McCalls in Edinburgh.

The reason they can afford to advertise so heavily is the ludicrously high margins they make from selling rubbish on the high street, and also selling forgeries as the real authentic thing. Almost every genuine producer in Scotland has suffered from their unscrupulous practices, whereby they get someone's copyright designs reproduced overseas for a fraction at the price, at rubbish quality. They sell these online even using the genuine producer's own photographs, and with forged labels in many cases. That's not just rumour, it's fact.

There have been countless complaints to Trading Standards, but they won't go near because they're afraid of being accused of racism. And before I'm accused of being racist myself, I'm not. I just hate the disgusting practices of these ruthless b*******s that are driving authentic producers to the wall. Cheap production overseas is one thing. Theft is another.

Here for example is an article from years ago when they first started to appear on the scene:
http://news.scotsman.com/scotland.cfm?id=1208732003

It's a really serious issue for the future of this industry, as it's destroying the industry so fast there will soon be little left in Scotland itself. If you know anyone who unwittingly has a link on their site to any of the above shops, please tell them! I've suffered from them in the past, but I'm saying no more than that!

[Monkey@Arms]

Whilst the newspaper reporter picked on a wee gift shop as an example, the company that the guy from the Tartans Authority was really talking about is well known to everyone in the trade in Scotland. And X Markers should really know all about them too.

* * *Snip * * *

Here for example is an article from years ago when they first started to appear on the scene:
http://news.scotsman.com/scotland.cfm?id=1208732003

It's a really serious issue for the future of this industry, as it's destroying the industry so fast there will soon be little left in Scotland itself. If you know anyone who unwittingly has a link on their site to any of the above shops, please tell them! I've suffered from them in the past, but I'm saying no more than that!

Thanks for the perspective and link to the newspaper article to back it up. I think we can all agree that goods should never be misrepresented.

Best regards,

Jake

[Mike1]

The problem lies in the fact that so many products in the Royal Mile 'touristy' shops are "Designed in Scotland", rather than being actually manufactured in Scotland. Tourism is big business in Scotland and it is a pity they cannot market Scottish-made products, because of all the tatty, imitation knock-offs.

[Tartan Hiker]

I have to admit that when I first walked the Royal Mile up to Edinburgh Castle I was a bit shocked at both the number and the gaudiness of many of the shops. As I became more and more unhappy my wife reminded me of what we refer to as the "Concrete TeePee" syndrome.

Basically, here in western NC, the Cherokee Indian reservation is a major tourist draw. All summer the stream of cars is greeted by members of the tribe, dressed in classic plains Indian garb complete with war chief's bonnets, standing in front of brightly painted concrete teepees.

The native Cherokee that occupied this land would have no idea what a teepee is used for and would probably have been apalled at full buckskins and eagle feather bonnets. They used very different styles of both housing and clothing. But when tourists arrive they expect to see the familiar icons of western movies, so the locals give them what they expect. To do otherwise would be financially unwise for businesses that depend on tourist dollars.

If you depend on tourist dollars you're crazy not to give the tourists what they expect and what they want. The proliferation of the "cheapy" items is a natural and predictable result. Cherokee, NC is full of these shops, but if you look hard you'll find the "real story" in a few shops, in museums, and in the people themselves. So it is in Edinburgh.

Just like my friends on the reservation, we have to respectfully understand the motivation,try to educate those who are interested, and try not to let it spoil our own enjoyment. I'm sure that, with some blatant exceptions as noted in previous posts, most of the income from these shops stays within the local economy.

Bill

[macwilkin]

We have the same thing here in the Ozarks, the ubiquitous "Hillbilly" image. You still see places that sell the tacky postcards with the "Hillbilly" family. Ozark folklorist Robert Gilmore described it this way:

I've always been more annoyed than amused by the hillbilly-postcard image of the Ozarker. You know the postcard I mean. The one tourists buy to send back to Iowa, demonstrating the stereotypical lazy mountaineer, lying in front of his falling-down shack, surrounded by a passel of grimy and lethargic young'ns. A slovenly wife slouches nearby, herself too slothful to shoo the scrawny hogs, dogs, and chickens from the rickety porch.

The Ozarks, of course, has a reputation as a laid-back place, pleasant and restful, and I suppose the hillbilly-postcard Ozarker is just a clever way of demonstrating how enjoyable and relax-lng is the life of a typical resident. The truth is, anyone who has ever tried to grow anything in the thin rocky soil of an Ozarks hillside (where our postcard-hillbilly apparently lives) knows that it's not easy. To grow enough corn to make the likker in the XXX jug by his side, our post-card-hillbilly would have to work, and work hard. Now what would that do to our image?

Bill, your post immediately reminded of our own version of the concrete tipi.

Regards,

Todd

[Hamish]

Whilst the newspaper reporter picked on a wee gift shop as an example, the company that the guy from the Tartans Authority was really talking about is well known to everyone in the trade in Scotland. And X Markers should really know all about them too.

They are the infamous Gold Brothers, an Asian family with no roots in Scottish heritage at all, but plenty of links to sweatshops overseas. They sell both from tat shops all over Scotland, and advertise heavily online. For example, key 'kilt' into google and their ad will probably be top of the small ads.

They operate under names like "Heritage of Scotland", "ScotlandShop Direct", "KiltsWorld.com", and their new 'luxury' brand "John Morrison" kilts. They also recently bought up the great old firm of McCalls in Edinburgh.

The reason they can afford to advertise so heavily is the ludicrously high margins they make from selling rubbish on the high street, and also selling forgeries as the real authentic thing. Almost every genuine producer in Scotland has suffered from their unscrupulous practices, whereby they get someone's copyright designs reproduced overseas for a fraction at the price, at rubbish quality. They sell these online even using the genuine producer's own photographs, and with forged labels in many cases. That's not just rumour, it's fact.

There have been countless complaints to Trading Standards, but they won't go near because they're afraid of being accused of racism. And before I'm accused of being racist myself, I'm not. I just hate the disgusting practices of these ruthless b*******s that are driving authentic producers to the wall. Cheap production overseas is one thing. Theft is another.

Here for example is an article from years ago when they first started to appear on the scene:
http://news.scotsman.com/scotland.cfm?id=1208732003

It's a really serious issue for the future of this industry, as it's destroying the industry so fast there will soon be little left in Scotland itself. If you know anyone who unwittingly has a link on their site to any of the above shops, please tell them! I've suffered from them in the past, but I'm saying no more than that!

Bravo, Jerry! Very well stated. I myself have been bleating about the proliferation of the 'tat' shops on The Royal Mile for some years - The ghastly Gold brothers own six on or near The Royal Mile alone, all trading under different names.

One of the better names in traditional Highland outfitting, Hector Russell, closed their shop opposite The Hub and pulled off the Royal Mile a few years ago, because they were surrounded by these shops and their business suffered. Fortunately, there are still high quality kiltmakers resident there, Geoffrey (Tailor), TFCK and Nicolson Highlandwear (a long-established independent kiltmaker but recently taken over by the St. Kilda Group)

I am meeting with Howie Nicholsby of TFCK and Geoffrey (Tailor) on Saturday, and must try to remember to ask him how his family are affected, if at all, by the tat merchants.