With weddings and events back in the diary, there has never been a better time to stand out from the crowd. With our tartan design service you don’t choose between modern or ancient, you choose bespoke. Design your very own tartan and have it officially registered in The Scottish Register of Tartans. Designing a tartan from scratch may seem like a complicated process but with the help of our in-house tartan designer, it couldn’t be easier.
The first step once you have decided that you want to design your own tartan is to get in touch with us. Our tartan designer will then get in touch with you to discuss your initial ideas. If you haven’t done so already, you will then need to go and think about what colours you want included in your tartan. When it comes to choosing your tartan colours, it’s helpful to think of the main or primary colour first and then choose colours that will help lift and accentuate the overall tartan design. Tartans have historically been designed to represent things of importance, for example, the purple in the Scotland the Brave tartan represents Scottish thistles. It may also help you choose your colours by associating them with things that are important to you.
Once you have chosen your colours, our tartan designer will then use CAD (Computer Aided Design Software) to mock up 5 different designs to bring your tartan to life. They will also include yarn samples with your designs to give you an exact idea of the colours that make up your tartan. At this stage you will have time to review and make any changes to your initial choices. Once you are happy with the final tartan design, we will send you a sign off sheet to start the tartan registration.
At this point your tartan design will be ready to be made into tartan material and therefore any highlandwear items that you wish. At the mill, a minimum of 10m can be woven at any one time as this would be enough for a kilt as well as other products like ties, flashes and waistcoats. Speak to our tartan designer to get a full list of items that are available for you to create from your chosen tartan material length.
While your tartan is at the mill, we will finalise the registration of your tartan with The Scottish Register of Tartans. For this you will need to choose a name for the tartan and to write a few notes on your inspiration for the tartan. These details will be used as the tartan description which will be visible on The Scottish Register of Tartans website. Once the information has been submitted you will be presented with a framed certificate which will identify you as the owner of the tartan design and others won’t be allowed to use your tartan without your permission.
If you decide to go ahead and design your own tartan you should allow a minimum of 8 weeks to facilitate the design and manufacturing of your tartan. This can be longer depending on how much time you want to spend on each step of the process.
Designing your own tartan is a great way to stand out from the crowd and showcase your own personal style. Click here for more information on our Tartan Design Service or alternatively email us at tartandesign@macgregorandmacduff.co.uk for any questions or to book your initial consultation.
