Dir. of Scottish Tartan Authority Criticizes Edinburgh Shops

[RockyR]

BTW... the article refers to a quote from Graham Muir (BTW... they misspelled his name in the article) at the Tartan Gift Shop. He's a VERY fiesty middle aged man who will have PLENTY to say about the "imported kilts" issue if you let him. If you get a chance to stop into his shop, talk to him for 5 minutes... he's a hoot. Also, tell him Rocky and Kelly from USAKilts said hello.

[Tartan Hiker]

And to follow up on my own post, what Rocky and others describe is the reason that the Native American reservation analogy works only up to a point. The cheap touristy crap that they sell in the rez shops is actually made by Cherokee tribal members on the reservation...it's actually legislated by the tribe that this is the case. If the rubber tomahawks were imported from Taiwan and the shop owners claimed that they were genuine, then the analogy would be better, and a whole lot sadder.

[McClef]

Deception is clearly a Trading Standards issue. A bit of "mytery shopping" by them might not go amiss.

But as I said earlier a law requiring clearer and more accurate labelling would go a long way to addressing the issue.

Gold Bros do sell some Scottish made items as do the other "tat" shops but I wonder if this helps to camouflage the issue in that in makes people think everything is made in Scotland.

I also found from previous visits that many of their staff are from eastern Europe and therefore may not be as aware as Scots might be about the products they sell. They may well make assumptions because they have not been educated as to origin.

I don't know if this is just an Edinburgh problem or not but I haven't encountered this anywhere else in Scotland personally. Supply and demand forces in Edinburgh seem to work differently as I discovered when booking my accomodation for next week. The hotel I used in October wanted three times their normal room rate for the Saturday night what I paid before. Needless to say I found somewhere else!

[IEScotsman]

I agree with everything that Matt said, especially his last statement. Also, the BIGGEST problem is NOT where the kilts are made or the material is woven, it's the fact that they're being passed off as "authentic Scottish Kilts".

Please note... WE (Kelly and I) make "casual kilts" from Poly Viscose (not wool) and sell them for around $110. While these aren't "real kilts" in some people's eyes, we don't CLAIM they are. We describe them (on the site and in person) for exactly what they are and don't try to pass them off as "traditional kilts". Truth in advertising is all we ask and expect. It's the deception that's the problem.

I don't know either of you personally (or even impersonally), but I have heard your reputation and I think its statements like this that make it as good as it is. You're meeting a market demand and dealing honestly with your customers. That quality becomes more and more rare in the Wal-Mart consumer world that is growing so quickly.

[RockyR]

I don't know if this is just an Edinburgh problem or not but I haven't encountered this anywhere else in Scotland personally. Supply and demand forces in Edinburgh seem to work differently as I discovered when booking my accomodation for next week. The hotel I used in October wanted three times their normal room rate for the Saturday night what I paid before. Needless to say I found somewhere else!

It seems to work that way in the Hotel industry... not only in Edinburra or Scotland, but all over. The tip seems to be to go in the "off season" (i.e. October, like you did or January, like I did). The B & B I stayed at in Edinburra was 25 GBP per person per night in January. In Summer, it's 75 GBP per person per night.

[McClef]

But it was only the one night Rocky, many hotels were already full for that one night and maybe word got around that there was a demand.

I hate to think what prices will be like when the Festival/Tattoo season starts!

Cheap kilts and expensive hotels what a combination!

[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.

[Hamish]

It seems to work that way in the Hotel industry... not only in Edinburra or Scotland, but all over. The tip seems to be to go in the "off season" (i.e. October, like you did or January, like I did). The B & B I stayed at in Edinburra was 25 GBP per person per night in January. In Summer, it's 75 GBP per person per night.

The great B&B I have used for years in Edinburgh is in Murrayfield Avenue (10 minutes on the bus from Princes Street). Their rates (from £30 pppn) are the same winter or summer. The name? It's The Craigelachie Hotel (yes the spelling IS correct!)

[McClef]

Hector Russell are still on the Royal Mile Ham!

They have a shop at 137-141 High St! I was there in October and will be visting them again next week!

Thanks for the tip on the B&B - marked down for future reference.

[Hamish]

Hector Russell are still on the Royal Mile Ham!

They have a shop at 137-141 High St! I was there in October and will be visting them again next week!

Thanks for the tip on the B&B - marked down for future reference.

Yes, you are absolutely correct, Trefor. I had, for the moment, forgotten about their second branch further down the road. Personally, I prefer their shop on Princes Street (spread over two floors above the Whisky Shop) but, even there, they have the embarrassment of a large tat shop (probably another branch of Gold Brothers!) which opened a few doors away.

The B&B is excellent - Tel: 0131 337 4076 - ask for George or Harrison.