Opinion column from the Scotsman: "Kilt police should stop pleating about shops"

[RockyR]

I agree with everything Matt said as well.

If you'd like, draw a comparison to USAK. We offer $100 kilts (and $230 kilts) on our site. Are they Scottish? No. Are they Made in Scotland? No. Are they made of UK material? Yes. Are they mostly registered tartans? Yes (and the ones that aren't are noted). Do we claim that they're wool? No (we describe exactly what they are).

THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH THEM or the people who want them. They are getting a fair product for a fair price (imho). They are accurately described and we TRY not to be misleading about them on our site at all.

Notice that we don't try to say that they're "Designed in Scotland" or anything like that. We "know our place" in the kilted world and don't try to be something we're not. We have a "model comparison guide" to compare the different levels of kilts we offer. At no time do we say that a casual is an "authentic wool kilt designed in Scotland". We describe our kilts exactly as they're made.

All that being said... we're proud members of the STA and stand behind Brian's comments 100%. He knows who we are and what we offer. We've had several discussions about this topic (especially since the article came out) and he has not once insulted cheap kilts to me, as long as they are marketed as "entry level" or are otherwise labeled correctly.

When I go on vacation, I am spending my hard earned money to relax and enjoy myself and ALSO to support the economy of the place I'm visitng (yes, I actually think in those term since I'm a business owner in a small and growing business district). I want to know that I've helped support locals so that they can continue to bring joy to others down the road. If I go to a place the THE ROYAL MILE, steeped in history and culture, I want to support that culture with my money. I expect to see some "trinkets" along the way, but would like to buy "made in Scotland" products to help their economy.

If you stop looking at the "race" issue or the "cost of kilts" issue for 1 second... ask yourself this:

Why DO they label things that way? Why don't they just be honest and label things "made in pakistan"?

The answer is simple... they wouldn't sell NEARLY as many. So, is it ethical to try to trick people (b/c that's what they ARE DOING) into thinking their product is made in Scotland?

Again... there is no problem with cheap kilts... it's with the way people are mislead into thinking they are buying a product that is made in Scotland.