Tartan and streetwear, an unusual combination that works together seamlessly. We have been seeing a lot more of this unique combination over the past few months as we had the pleasure of working with Glasgow Caledonian Fashion students on their live industry project. Forming part of their Fashion Concepts module, Second Year Fashion Design with Business students were tasked with creating a range of streetwear incorporating our exclusive Mist tartans.
The University’s live projects are a chance for students to gain practical experience with real companies and the aim of this particular project was to bring tartan to a new audience. We always strive to push the boundaries of modern highlandwear so couldn't wait to see how the designers would reimagine our ever-popular Mist tartans. After many months of research, designing and creating, the students’ work was displayed in the University’s fashion showcase, GCU Urban. We were delighted to be invited to the show and see the designs come to life.
Taking inspiration from the worlds of art, architecture and film, this was tartan as we had never seen it before. We were so impressed that the students could make streetwear and tartan flow seamlessly together. We loved seeing some Scottish flair brought to wardrobe staples such as cargo pants and hoodies. The students really impressed us with their creativity.
While some designs included subtle pops of tartan in a lining, pocket or patchwork, others fully embraced the fabric, creating dramatic tartan sleeves and capes. Many students choose to take inspiration from the tones in our Mist tartans as the colour palette for their collections. For example, we saw lots of stylish designs using smokey greys, browns and navys, as well as hints of blues, purples and pinks to lift the looks.
The fashion show isn’t the end of our journey with the budding designers. We will be choosing a winning design to form part of a window display in our flagship store on Bath street. The winning student’s name will be displayed and they will work with our Visual Merchandising team to create a unique display centered around their contemporary take on tartan. Having seen so many unique and innovative outfits on the catwalk, it won’t be easy to choose just one for our window!
A special thank you goes out to Glasgow Caledonian for involving us in this special project and of course the wonderful students who put so much hard work and dedication into making these incredible designs.