It's hard to remember a time whenthere has been such global interest intartan! These pages provide but aflavour of the current interest in ourbest-loved national icon and I considerit a great honour to be entering mysecond year as Chairman of our Boardof Governors at such an exciting time.

The past year has seen TheScottish Tartans Authority emergefrom a very difficult financial period.The strategic review we commissionedmore than 12 months ago provided uswith serious momentum and by Julywe were looking to the future withconfidence, having secured asubstantial private donation. We hopeto add to this good news by securingfurther support by the year-end,support that will allow us to reviewour governance and managementinfrastructure, allowing us to be moreproactive and to develop keypartnerships with others who areinterested in promoting, protecting andpreserving tartan for the benefit ofcurrent and future generations.

The Governors and our Directorare grateful to you, our members, foryour continued and unconditionalsupport. Without you, The ScottishTartans Authority would havewithered on the vine. Thanks to youand a small band of key stakeholders,we are now looking at a healthy andhappy 2014 and I look forward toupdating you on some keydevelopments early in the New Year.

In themeantime, pleaseaccept our bestwishes for a veryHappy Christmas!_____________

Right: It gives theTartans Authorityparticular pleasureto see their ‘OorWullie’ tartan‘woven’ up for thiscomic strip pipeband. See moreoverleaf.

Our Director Brian Wilton wellremembers this argument surfacingback in 2008 in the run-up to thedrafting of the Scottish Register ofTartan Act. There was a sizeableopinion in parliament and in the tartanindustry that a tartan couldn’t be atartan unless it was woven. There wasalso a small but more extreme viewthat it was only a tartan if it waswoven in wool!

Understandable as such traditionaland protectionist ideas were, they didtend to fly in the face of logic and theScottish Government legislatorsaccepted our Director’s view that‘tartan’ was a design which might beutilised in a variety of ways of whichweaving was the most traditional andprevalent. It was accepted that tartanwas no less a tartan if it was painted

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No. 45 Christmas 2013

Festive Governor Greetings!

When is atartan not a

tartan?A question that has exercised

more than a few minds in the past.

Merry

Christmasfrom all at the

Scottish Tartans Authority

on the tail fin of an aircraft or on thebodywork of a 4 x4 USV.

The use of tartan in a non-wovenform has much greater exposure thanever its woven version could achieve.This is of immense value on variousfronts - in the promotion of thecompany using it; the promotion oftartan as a unique branding device; thestimulation of interest in and demandfor the woven form and the silent andall-pervading publicising of theauthentic home of tartan - Scotland.

It’s always extremely satisfyingtherefore to see commercialorganisations maximising the use of their commissioned corporate tartans.The ones featured here were all fromthe ‘design studio’ at the TartansAuthority and their use is thus closelyfollowed.

Top of the league has to be D CThomson of Dundee who haveenthusiastically embraced their uniquetartans for The Broons and for OorWullie. Visitors to Scotland’s tradefairs at Glasgow’s SECC arena willhave seen both designs gracing a widerange of products.

Nowhere are the tartans betterdisplayed than on the annual

publications featuring the 76 year oldSunday Post comic strips - anewspaper with the enviablecirculation of 1,000,000 per week!

Even the annuals enjoy a circula-tion of around 100,000 so just think ofthe number of exposures these tartansreceive over the period of a year!

Traditionally tartan has always been a regular on Scottish sweet(candy) and biscuit tins and D CThomson are continuing that customwith the Broons’ Scottish Fudge.

Another great promotion is that ofBrooks Brothers of Madison Avenuewhom we mentioned last issue. Sincethen their iconic shopping bags (tensof thousands in three sizes) have hitthe streets in NY and other citiesaround the world. Shopper in NYdeclined the conventional BB bags,

seeking to replace them with this new‘trophy’ bag that’s attracting admiringlooks in Manhattan.

Above is their beautiful Christmascatalogue in which even the instoreGift Cards are tartanised.

And the Christmas bone chinacollection is enough to turn FatherChristmas into a serial burglar!

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To attract an order for 11,000metres of tartan is probably aonce-in-a-lifetime experience for asmall family firm like StrathmoreWoollens of Forfar. Design led fromthe start, owner David Cowley lays thepraise at the door of fellow DirectorJonathan (Jo) Brown Mdes whoseinspiring design took the 188 year oldClarks shoe company by storm.

The tartan colours were chosen toaccord with specific colours in Clarks’

2013 Autumn/Winter colour palette,so that the tartan could sit withproducts throughout the whole season.The wisdom of that brief from Clarksand the brilliance of Jo’s design wasevidenced by the massive sales of thebrogues alone which meant that by theend of only hadtwo or threesizes availableonline.

Right: TheForfar HQ.Below left:Jo Brown.Below right:DavidCowley

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And more good news!

11,000 metres forClarks Shoes

from Strathmore Woollens of Forfar!

Clarks has been a householdname for over six generations ofBritish shoppers since 1825when James Clark created hisfirst pair of slippers in theEnglish village of Street inSomerset. Especially wellknown to parents for whom thename Clarks has always beensynonymous with children’sshoes, Clarks International haslong branched out into adultshoes, bags and other leatherrelated accessories.

2014 seems to becoming amomentous year for Scotland in manyways and one of the most unusualcelebrations is being organised fromRussia!

Mikhail Lermontov is one ofRussia’s most celebrated poets and2014 marks the 200th Anniversary ofhis birth.

Held in the same high esteem asour own Robert Burns he died in aduel at the tragically young age of 23.Scotland’s connection with MikhailYurevich Lermontov is that thefounder of the family line was aScotch Knight from Fife - GeorgeLermont - who emigrated to Russia in1613 to fight as a mercenary. Theconnection with Fife was rekindled in2004 when the STA designed a tartanfor the modern Lermontov ‘Clan’.

Brian Wilton was invited to Russiato present it to the internationalgathering of Lermonts, Learmonthsand Lermontovs and is now veryhonoured to be invited to become partof the anniversary visit to Scotlandnext year - during which a statue ofLermontov is to be erected.

The event is being organised by avery talented young Russian - MariaKoroleva (see left) - who is aLermontovandco-founderof theSco-Rusorganisationwhich hasbeennominated asthe officialpartner ofthe BritishCouncil forthe jointBritish-Russia Yearof Culture in2014.

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Maria Koroleva (Màiri Òg Koroleva) is a SeniorLecturer in Celtic Studies, Faculty of ForeignLanguages and Area Studies, concurrent SeniorLecturer in ESP (Economics and Management), and aresearch fellow in Demography, Faculty ofEconomics, Lomonosov Moscow State University.Her interests include Indo- European Studies, Scottishand Irish Gaelic Studies, Sociolinguistics, Folkloreand Cultural Anthropology. Maria introduced ScottishGaelic language and culture courses to the MoscowState University (2001). To support Gaelic Studies inRussia she founded Gaelic Society of Moscow(1999). Her numerous brainchildren include

Storytelling Sessions Project (2009), which unites storytellers from different corners ofthe world, scholars from the Moscow State University, talented musicians and singers.She is one of the co-founders of the Sco-Rus.org and a member of a hugeLermontov-Learmonth family.

How good isyour

ussian?

Above: St Andrew’s Day Celebrations in Moscow. Bottom right: The modern head of the family Mikhail Lermontov in his LermontovHighland dress.

“FOND ADHERENCE TO THEIRPRIMITIVE GARB”: FIRSTEDITION OF CLANS OF THESCOTTISH HIGHLANDS, WITH 72SPLENDID HAND-COLOREDLARGE FOLIO PLATES OFTARTANS, IN ORIGINALPUBLISHER’S BINDING

(SCOTLAND) MCIAN, RobertRonald and LOGAN, James. TheClans of the Scottish Highlands.London: Ackermann, 1845-47. Twovolumes. Folio (11 by 15 inches),publisher’s original half blackmorocco rebacked with the originalspines laid down, raised bands,elaborately gilt-decorated spines andpebbled cloth covers, marbled endpapers. $15,000.

First edition of the firstillustrated encyclopaedia oftraditional Scottish tartans, with twochromolithographic heraldicfrontispieces and 72 vibrant,hand-colored lithographic platesafter the celebrated paintings ofRobert Ronald McIan.

Initially an aspiring actor inLondon, Robert Ronald McIaneventually abandoned the stage todevelop his gifts as a painter. Today,he is best remembered for the vibrant

and dramatic illustrations ofHighlanders in their tartans that fillthese large folio volumes. McIan’s art,supplemented by text from scholar andjournalist James Logan (author of thelandmark The Scottish Gael, 1831),helped fuel the Victorian public’sfascination with Scottish costumes,particularly following the 1782* lawprohibiting the wearing of Highlanddress. Very popular at the time,McIan’s Clans is still considered thefinest example of a large number ofworks on the subject. Originally issuedin 24 parts.

* 1782 was actually when the 1746Act of Prohibition was repealed.

To the WeaversGin ye Goby Robert Burns

My heart was ance as blithe and freeAs simmer days were lang;But a bonie, westlin weaver ladHas gart me change my sang.

My mither sent me to the town,To warp a plaiden wab;But the weary, weary warpin o'tHas gart me sigh and sab.

A bonie, westlin weaver ladSat working at his loom;He took my heart as wi' a net,In every knot and thrum.

I sat beside my warpin-wheel,And aye I ca'd it roun';But every shot and evey knock,My heart it gae a stoun.

The moon was sinking in the west,Wi' visage pale and wan,As my bonie, westlin weaver ladConvoy'd me thro' the glen.

But what was said, or what was done,Shame fa' me gin I tell;But Oh! I fear the kintra soonWill ken as weel's myself!

Chorus*To the weaver's gin ye go, fair maids,To the weaver's gin ye go;I rede you right, gang ne'er at night,To the weaver's gin ye go

_______________________________

Tartan SpotlightWimbledon champion Andy Murray’sMother at the recent Sportsman of theYear Awards which he won. Mrs JudyMurray is wearing a silk weaving ofthe asymmetric MacMillan tartan.

Photo: Press Association

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1899 McIan BookDonation

We are most grateful to kiltmaker Betty Noble who has very kindly lent this fine1899 edition of the McIan/Logan collaborative work - Costume of the Clans. to us.Published in Glasgow by David Bryce the book is resplendent in its original Royal

Stewart binding. The forerunners of these miniaturised copies ( 7.5 x 5 inches)were double the size (11 x 15 inches) and are described below by Bauman Rare

Books of the USA who recently sold a set for $15,000.

Since time immemorial, noblefibres have assisted Man's survival andwellbeing - as clothing, bedding, andinsulation for his home. King Alfonsoof Spain protected The Merino Sheepfor over 300 years from the 14thCentury, War Lords of Chinaprotected the cashmere goats while thePriests and Emperors of Peru protectedthe vicuna, the llama and the angora.

The nobility of the World,

protected the noble fibre fleeces of theWorld and it is only relatively recentlythat wool and such luxury fibres havebeen made available on the mass retailmarket. While that has created ademand for higher volumes of wool, ithas also led to a sorry state of pricedeflation within the wool market aslarge stores around the world driveprices down in the competitive war forcustomers. Merino wool has lost itsvalue, it is sold at far too low a price,to a market and a consumer who doesnot appreciate its worth.

In my view, this is due primarilyto the fact that there is no one involved

in the marketing and sale of superfinemerino wool who understands the truevalue of this unique natural product,who can be involved in the productdevelopment, sales and marketing to aselect consumer base. The market inwhich wool is currently sold dictatesthe current market price. Merino woolshould have a value three times what ispaid for it today and if prices do notrise, then volumes will continue todecline as the production of Merinowool will not be a viable commercialproposition compared to other farming

options offered to today’s youngfarmers.

In the 18th Century, The King ofSpain gave the finest of his covetedflocks as gifts to the powerful rulers inSaxony, France, and Great Britain.This 'Gift of Kings' was eventuallyshipped to the furthest reaches of theWorld, including South Africa,Argentina, New Zealand, andAustralia, where the treasured Merinosheep flourished. Today’s Merinowool retains all the romance of the Giftof Kings and a unique, refined fibre as

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The Cloth of Kings

Malcolm Campbell CText FTI; CCol FSDC; FRSA

The inspirational Callanish Stones (dating from 2900 and 2600 BC ) or TursachanChalanais in Gaelic, are situated near the village of Callanish on the west coast of Lewisin the Outer Hebrides.

The Murray of Atholl tartan firstwoven in Harris Tweed in 1846 andtaken by Lady Dunmore to sell inLondon.

never seen or produced before.Traditional shepherding, animalhusbandry and craftsmanship, coupledwith twenty first centuryadvancements in processing havegiven us high quality, luxuriouslysoft fleeces, which are spun knittedand woven, then tailored in to thefinest garments.

The Cloth of Kings brandpreserves Scottish and Englishtextile heritage, bringing back tolife traditional cloths with newblends of Merino wool and othernoble fibres, as well as Cheviotwools, new cloths that lookvintage, but with softer handles,and new finishes that create lustreand drape, with innovativetechnical applications whichenhance the cloth, such as stainresist, shower proof, and antimicrobial finish for freshness.

Innovative cloths developedwithin The Cloth of Kingscollection have featured Super150s with 24 carat gold pinstripes,as well as platinum pinstripes.Titanium micro encapsulated in to thecloth, jade particles microencapsulated in to the cloth for theChinese market, increasing the valueand the commercial viability of theenhanced, luxury cloth.

The Cloth of Kings Harris Tweed -An Clo Mor - sent from The CarlowayMill on the Isle of Lewis toW.T.Johnson in Huddersfield toimprove the traditional Harris Tweed

by cropping, KD press, silver shieldapplication for anti bacterial propertiesand aqua block for shower prooffeature, thus substantially increasingthe value of the product through

uncompromising and unequalled skill,innovation and expertise in the art oftextile design and production.

Harris Tweed from The CarlowayMill was micro encapsulated withdiamond dust last year byW.T.Johnson, and a bolt of TheCallanish Tartan sent to Her MajestyThe Queen at Buckingham Palace on

the occasion of Her DiamondJubilee. Her Majesty wasdelighted. The Cloth of KingsHarris Tweed is a magnificentcollection of apparel, luggage,shooting accessories and furniturecreated from two outstanding andbeautiful Scottish tartans;

One is the Callanish Tartan -Inspired by Queen Victoria andthe 1853 Balmoral tartan and themagical Callanish Stones. Theother is The Lady Dunmore Plaid- inspired by Lady Dunmore whobegan the Harris Tweed industryin 1846 with her promotion inLondon of the Murray of Atholltartan. Both these tartans areunique, exceptional designs. TheCloth of Kings collection isinnovative and exclusive; theproducts have style andsophistication and exude luxury,

quality and the artisan textile crafts ofThe Outer Hebrides.

Australian Super Fine Merinowool needs to go through a similarprocess of product enhancement, toimprove the yarns, the cloths, improvethe styles and designs of garments andknitwear, improve the customer baseto which it is sold, in order to increasethe value of the raw material, and theprice paid to the farmer, for one ofnature's most outstanding fibres.

________________________

Tartan moving withthe times as always

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Above: Malcolm Campbell in theunique Callanish Tweed.

‘Wede awa’The untimely death of Henry

Robert Scott in North Carolina sadlysees another ‘flower of the forest’ wede awa.

Photographed above with STADirector Brian Wilton back in 2009 atGrandfather Mountain Games, Henrywas a much loved and weel kent faceat many Scottish events.

Originally an electronics engineerwith IBM in Colorado he gave it all upin the 1970s to settle in the Blue RidgeMountains close to the small town of

Murphy in Cherokee County, NorthCarolina.

A kind, avuncular and outgoingcharacter, Henry looked for all theworld like Father Christmas takingtime out between Christmasengagements.

He was an accomplished builderof log cabins, an expert archer andhunter and acted as Quartermaster forthe Scott Clan Society. His wifeRebecca was a potter and his delightwas getting her output to market at the

many Highland Games that theyattended.

Like many Americans of Scottishdescent, Henry was more Scottish thanany of us but paradoxically, had neverbeen to Scotland. However, what hedidn’t manage in Life, he will managein Death - a small urn of ashes is goingto be buried at the base of acommemorative tree planted inPerthshire’s Glen Lednock by friendAngus Crabbie.

Our thoughts and sympathies go toRebecca, Rory, Fiona, young Josie andall the many friends and acquaintanceswho were lucky enough to knowHenry.

Rest in Peace Henry and at longlast do your hunting in a Scottish glen.

Over the Top CornerAbove: 1950s OTT. Below: Aaaargh!

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Below: Peter Wilson of Great ScotInternational, Lord Jamie Sempill, Henry’swife Rebecca, Henry himself and GordonKirkbright of weavers Fraser & Kirkbright,Vancouver.