How many guys are really wearing kilts?

**Randy** · 30th June 06, 08:51 AM

Once I saw someone kilted that wasn't in a mirror, aside from celtic/Scottish events. I'm SWK nightstalker kilted today.

**KiltedKnight** · 30th June 06, 08:53 AM

I must say that Scott Gilmore and Davedove say just about all that I have to say, I've said before in other posts that I don't and will never wear the kilt EVERY day. To do so really deminishes the uniqueness of the garment.

I don't want to be known as 'that guy who always wears a kilt'. I want to be asked by a pretty hostess or barmaid or waitress when I'll wear the kilt again.

I'll be taking my wife out to dinner tomorrow night and I will be dressed to the kilt, right down to the flyplaid, it's my wife's birthday and she'll be wearing a wreath of flowers in her hair which is not something she does everyday either. The kilt and flowers in the hair are for those special occasions where something extra is needed as a catalist for the day to make it as memorable as possible, something that is worn everyday cannot make for as memorable an evening.

Chris.

**GTRMAN** · 30th June 06, 08:59 AM

Originally Posted by KiltedKnight

I must say that Scott Gilmore and Davedove say just about all that I have to say, I've said before in other posts that I don't and will never wear the kilt EVERY day. To do so really deminishes the uniqueness of the garment.

I don't understand the logic in the above statement.. Please explain..

**Raphael** · 30th June 06, 09:05 AM

At least for me, Kilt wearing was a novel idea at first. I didn't think I will be owning more than one, let alone wearing one to work. It had been 3 years since I bought my first UK and I wearing a Bear Kilt at work right now.

In Vancouver, things are very different. Vancouver has a big population of proud Scots. I often see guys wearing their UKs ot tartan kilts around. It is a fairly common sight. I know at least 2 guys who wear kilts regularly. The number is growing here.

**Colin** · 30th June 06, 09:08 AM

Originally Posted by Raphael

At least for me, Kilt wearing was a novel idea at first. I didn't think I will be owning more than one, let alone wearing one to work. It had been 3 years since I bought my first UK and I wearing a Bear Kilt at work right now.

In Vancouver, things are very different. Vancouver has a big population of proud Scots. I often see guys wearing their UKs ot tartan kilts around. It is a fairly common sight. I know at least 2 guys who wear kilts regularly. The number is growing here.

I see people in kilts in and around Vancouver fairly regularly. I have seen them at the aquarium, the zoo, festivals, charity events, community events, Canada Day celebrations, walking down the street, etc. These have ranged from traditional kilts to Utilikilts.

I don't wear kilts full time, but I wear them when I feel like it. In my little corner of the lower minland, I know of one full time kilt wearer, whom I have seen on a number of occasions, but not spoken to yet.

The kilt makers can't keep up because Ron is making a run at catching Hamish's collection. The guy orders 4 at a time for pete's sake!!!

**Caradoc** · 30th June 06, 09:41 AM

Originally Posted by pbpersson

In my 50 years on this planet I have only TWICE in my life seen men in kilts who were obviously not part of a celebration or a parade.

Well, you're in the Greater Phoenix Metro Area - Tempe, as I recall. I'm in Scottsdale.

Most of my kilts are wool - and are entirely unsuited for wearing outdoors when the temperature is over 90 degrees F.

I don't do Utilikilts, or the other "non-traditional" kilts, and so it becomes problematic to wear them when it gets hot out.

Add that to the fact that over half of my kilts are "great kilts," consisting of 5-6 yards of wool, 50-60" wide. There's absolutely no comfortable way to wear those in the summer in Arizona. I can sleep outdoors in the high desert in January wearing one, though. I've even slept in a snowbank (well, I dug out a small snow cave, then crawled in with the great kilt, and I was comfy. Toasty warm. A little damp, but a layer of pine boughs on the floor took care of the melt.)

I'm pretty sure that per capita kilt-wearing can be determined by average temperatures.

**Riverkilt** · 30th June 06, 09:58 AM

Boy, I'm as confused as GTRMAN...diminshed??? and in L.A.....?

My belief is that by wearing the kilt every day I'm honoring it and maybe even opening up some minds to the point they would wear one too. But my main reason for wearing kilts is pure selfishness - to enjoy the comfort and freedom.

Don't see other kilts in my little town. Do have people tell me stories of kilted men they've seen. I do go and immerse myself in highland games to soak it up...see everything from converted tablecloths and women's skirts worn as kilts up to the finest hand sewn traditional kilts. Love it.

My fond hope is that, in time, the self-evident comfort and common sense of kilts, particularly kilts adapted for this century, will prevail.

Ron

**GMan** · 30th June 06, 10:03 AM

Surprisingly I do see several guys Kilted. Yes some are Utilikilts and some are tartan. I try to talk to as many other Kilt wearers when I see them, but es time does get away from us. One time while walking out of the grocery store I saw another guy in a Kilt (we were both in tartans). We spent a good 20 minutes talking and just about every other person we saw said how neat it was.

Now to get them posting here.

**Yaish** · 30th June 06, 10:19 AM

Utilikilks claims to have sold more kilts than any other kilt maker, and its a claim I can well believe. At the least, they probably are right up there with their numbers, and they have sold under 20,000 kilts in the 7 years or so they have been selling.

All other kilt makers combined probably bring that number up significantly, lets say something like 200,000 kilts in the last 10 years. (before 10 years ago, you would be hard pressed to find a kilt outside of S/otland or a pipe band)

Given that many kilt owners own more than one, or only wear them on special occaisions, that means the number of kilt wearing men at any one time is probably only in the tens of thousands on any particular day.

Drop in the bucket of even the US population, let alone the world. Heck, 10,000 kilted guys would disappear in Los Angeles unless we all met up at one location.

That being said, I have run into several other 'kilties' out there. Once at Disney land there were three guys in kilts, all unrelated (me included).

**arrogcow** · 30th June 06, 10:36 AM

Originally Posted by Yaish

Utilikilks claims to have sold more kilts than any other kilt maker, and its a claim I can well believe. At the least, they probably are right up there with their numbers, and they have sold under 20,000 kilts in the 7 years or so they have been selling.

UK passed 20,000 over 2 yeasrs ago (there's a business article on their web site somewhere). It's closer to 20,000 a year, but still even assuming that each one went to one customer (and I personaly have 12) thats about 70,000 customers since UK started. Add anothr 80,000 for other kiltmakers in the last 5 years. Divide by 5 (I'm assuming that guys who wear kilts regularly have at least 5) and you end up with 30,000 kilt wearers in the world wide. Assume they all live in the US. 30,000 is 1/100th of 1% of the population, or one in every 10,000 people wears a kilt. I know these numbers aren't accurate, but as a rough guess they'll do.

Adam