Why a kilt costs what it does...a re-re-re-hash

[Downunder Kilt]

Skye Highland Outfitters, owned and run by Norcal Piper (Josh)

[MartinGrenoble]

... that a small firm in Sialkot, Pakistan could so outshine a Scottish company in crafting a quintessentially Scottish item..

Glad to see one person is able to recognize that some products from the east are well made. I have a pakistani kilt that I have worn more than any other; it's not my favorite but it will stand up to hard work and a hard wash, stitches remaining stitched, and pleats remaining pleated.
I'd love to have a kilt built by Barb T (who seems to be a fascinating and generous person), but I can't afford it. Which does not mean I think she charges too much.
If western kiltmakers get little cash from their work, cost of living being what it is, those few coins that the eastern employee gets will help him to feed his family.
Martin

[M. A. C. Newsome]

I pay attention to the COST, but it's the LACK OF CRAFTSMANSHIP that irks me. I've moaned about it in other forums so I'll cut this short: I would rather spend under a $100 for a casual kilt in a generic regimental tartan than purchase another casual kilt sewn by a Scottish-based company like Lochcarron. Given the difference in price, the superior quality of the dye colors, the number of pleats, the needlework, and especially the fit, I'm still fuming years afterward that a small firm in Sialkot, Pakistan could so outshine a Scottish company in crafting a quintessentially Scottish item. I do believe in the old Biblical saying that the workman is worth his hire, but hope that when I send money for a kilt or accessories to my Pakistani kiltmaker that what seems to a small amount to me is more than enough to cover his costs and time.

Wow, this is the first time I've heard Lochcarron's casual kilts reviewed so negatively, especially in comparison to a kilt from Sialkot retailing for under $100.

In my experience, Lachcarron's casual kilts are made to a much higher quality standard than the casual kilts offered by most other Scottish companies.

Question: Was your kilt actually sewn by Lochcarron kilt makers, or was it other kilt makers using Lochcarron cloth?

[triolamj]

Yes, it was Lochcarron. The tartan (Munster Province) is only available from Lochcarron and only in the lighter Reiver weight. I actually ordered it from Highland XPress thinking it was American made which turned out to be an unwarranted assumption on my part. The cut and stitching were up to par, but the belt loops were ridiculously far from where they should have been. When I tried to put it on, I found that the straps had been placed wrong, too, and the waist size was too tight by 2 or 3 inches. I ended up sending it back to the very nice Mary Beth at HXP to get the straps moved in and she even replaced one of the original straps with an extra long one. The thing that really burned me up was the pleating. My first kilt was a handsewn, 3-1/4 yards of 10 oz. with a 42-in waist and 19-in length: 27 pleats and still fits with room to grow, on purpose. My second Pakistani-made kilt was 4 yards of 13 oz. with a 44-in waist and 19-in length: 30 pleats but further out the strap than it should be. My third, the machine-sewn Lochcarron, was 4 yards of 10 oz. with a 44-in waist and 19-in length: 19 pleats and just wearable with the alterations but with little or no room to grow. The fabric is noticeably thinner than that of my first 10 oz. kilt woven 15 years before. My strong suspicion is that they skimped on the material, basically "chiseling", thinking it wouldn't be noticed or just not caring. Because my Pakistani kilt is more "expendable" and more comfortable, I only wear my Munster kilt to formal occasions or appropriate Irish occasions. My 2nd kilt was meant to be my "working" kilt at the Highland Games but it's become my kilt of choice for when I do wear a kilt and my Lochcarron sits in the closet just looking beautiful.

[triolamj]

See previous angry rant above: Yes, when the kilt arrived it had tags saying that it had been crafted by Lochcarron plus Lochcarron is the only maker of the tartan. One last thing: I originally ordered the waist 5 inches too big, thinking I had a sub-40-in waist. The width of the apron should have easily reached halfway around either side of my waist if it were cut for a 44-in waist. Now that I have a 41-in waist it barely makes the length of the front of me. More "chiseling", I presume.

[Alan H]

Quite a few times in this thread the question has come up.....

"If there's so little money to be made making kilts, then why are so many people doing it?"

Ummmmmmmmm.............

Perhaps we forget that this is X Marks the Scot, the biggest kilt-related board in the world. Perhaps we forget that most all (certainly not ALL, but certainly more than half) of the kiltmakers in the country have a presence on or an advertisement with...or they are at least members of this forum.

Don't forget that there are a LOT more tailors and small tailoring companies in North America than there are kiltmakers. A LOT. A whole, whole, whole, whole LOT more tailors than there are kiltmakers. There's a reason.



Fringe, gang....Fringe. We are a complete and utter fringe in the clothing world. There's not a freaking dime to be made doing this, in comparison to the mainstream US clothing industry. Do not get the idea that because you see something on X-Marks, that it's the "real world."

This board is a marketing Disneyland. Fantasy. Playtime. The sandbox of a few custom and small-businessmen and women who can feed their kids and maybe keep one or two or five employees busy. Period. It is emphatically NOT the Real World of Clothing Manufacturing.
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Edited because I'm a freaking windbag.