Wedding Guide 2023

May 11, 2023

Wedding season is approaching full bloom and we’re kilting up more grooms and guests every week. Nowadays more than ever we find that couples are looking for ways to make their day unique and personal and highlandwear is an ideal way to do that. Although tartan and kilts are often seen as very traditional, there are so many ways you can use them to add a personal and contemporary touch to your big day. From handfasting ceremonies to hiring any tartan, dive into our ultimate guide to wedding season 2023.

Spotlight on Our Mist Tartans

May 03, 2023

Inspired by the breathtaking scenery it’s so famous for, our exclusive Mist Tartans pay tribute to Scotland’s most iconic locations. Our first Mist was launched in 2009 and the collection embodies the contemporary style we champion. Versatile and stylish, our Mist tartans are universal so can be worn by anyone, regardless of their heritage. Find your favourite below.

Design Your Own Tartan

April 26, 2023

Scotland’s relationship with tartan spans centuries, from traditional Clan tartans to modern universal tartans, Scotland is a more colourful place thanks to these simple cloth designs. There are thought to be upwards of 7,000 different tartans and variations on record which really puts the significance of tartan into perspective. While some of these tartan designs may be restricted, meaning not just anyone can buy or wear them, there is still a significant amount of choice available to the average person when it comes to finding a tartan for a new kilt or another highlandwear item. The question is, does more...

How To Wear a Kilt Casually

April 19, 2023

Traditional highlandwear outfits are most commonly worn to formal events like weddings and other black tie events. The swing of the pleats, the different colours of tartan and all the accessories make for a much more interesting outfit than a plain suit. While it’s ultimately down to personal preference, as a rule of thumb, a Prince Charlie or Argyll jacket and waistcoat are worn to the most formal occasions. These outfits are also accessorised with a dress sporran. For slightly less formal occasions, tweed jackets and semi-dress sporrans are more appropriate. This doesn’t mean that a tweed jacket can’t be...

Harris Mist Tartan Takeover

April 12, 2023

From designing and weaving the tartan to launching our collection, sharing our new Harris Mist tartan has been a proud moment for the whole team at MacGregor and MacDuff. With every department involved in some way or another and having had such a great reaction to the design, we wanted to do something more special than ever to celebrate. Having been inspired by the Isle of Harris, we thought a trip to the island would be the perfect tribute to the tartan’s roots. We hosted a fitting service and organised a photoshoot with the iconic Harris scenery as the backdrop. From start...

Natalie and Arran Balsillie's Big Day

April 04, 2023

Natalie and Arran tied the knot last December and were kind enough to share their story with us for this blog. Arran and Natalie are actually close friends of Dave, who works in the marketing department here at MacGregor and MacDuff. Dave was invited to the wedding and when he returned to work after the celebrations and told us all about their special day, we knew that their story would be an excellent one to share on our website.   The first question we asked was why did Arran choose MacGregor and MacDuff. We know why we think people should...

Glasgow Caledonian Tartan Project

March 30, 2023

Home to the most NHS healthcare graduates in Scotland, Glasgow Caledonian University is known for pushing both practical skills and creativity. The university has a great reputation for offering specialist degrees such as Fashion Marketing and Business Management, which focus largely on employability post-study. It was due to these attributes that we were asked by the university to take part in one of their live industry projects there was no question that this would be something we would be thrilled to be involved in. The University’s live industry projects give students the unique opportunity to work with companies in their field...

Celebrating Scottish Ancestry

March 23, 2023

We were recently approached by a newspaper to answer a few questions about the wearing of kilts by non-Scots. In our answers, we discussed that as long as highlandwear is worn properly and not as a joke, cultural appropriation isn’t an issue. We have mentioned previously that we see non-Scots wearing kilts as a cultural celebration and encourage everyone to wear a kilt, no matter their nationality or ancestry. After the article was published, it got us thinking about how far kilts and highlandwear have travelled throughout the world and how a small country like Scotland has been able to...

Tartan & St. Patrick's Day

March 14, 2023

People all around the world will be heading out this Friday to celebrate one of the biggest party nights of the year, St. Patrick's day. While I’m sure that there are some people that use St. Patrick as an excuse to have a good time, he has been a significant part of Irish history and culture since the seventh century. St. Patrick's day is celebrated on the 17th day of March each year on the day of his supposed death. He lived during the fifth century and was actually born in Roman Britain. It’s thought that when he was 16,...

The Kings of Kilts on Harris

March 08, 2023

Our new Harris Mist tartan has launched across our purchase range of highlandwear products and the response has been spectacular. Once it finally launches in our hire range on the 1st of June, it might just top the list as our most popular tartan. We have to admit, this is pretty exciting but when you look at the tartan, it's easy to see why it has been so well received. It’s a modern, stylish tartan that is as versatile as they come. While our in-house tartan design team are the ones who actually created the design, credit is due to...

Will The Traditional Craft Of Kilt Making Go Extinct?

March 01, 2023

From clay pipe making to straw working, thanks to roughly 12 millennia of continuous inhabitation, Britain’s long history has produced a plethora of traditional crafts. However, due to modernisation, many of these crafts have fallen away and become extinct. Whether this is because there are now easier ways to make the items or because there is no longer a use for such items, it’s still a piece of culture that will forever be lost to the history books. UNESCO defines traditional craftsmanship as “the most tangible manifestation of intangible cultural heritage”, which is a poetic way of summing up the...

What is tartan?

February 22, 2023

Tartan is a traditional Scottish fabric pattern characterized by intersecting lines and vibrant colors running both horizontally and vertically. Originating in Scotland as early as the 3rd century, tartan plays a crucial role in Scotland's culture and history. Each Scottish clan historically had its own unique tartan pattern, symbolizing its identity and heritage. By the 18th century, tartan had become synonymous with Highland dress. Following the Jacobite's defeat at the Battle of Culloden, the British government banned tartan and all other aspects of Highland culture as a form of punishment. Today, tartan remains a powerful symbol of Scottish pride and...