Worn by royalty and punks alike, tartan has always evoked both the regimented traditional and the blatantly subversive throughout its history. At times endorsing true Scottish identity and often ridiculing it through contradictions like chic Chanel dresses and sculptural Donald Judd prints. Tartan’s fascinating story is as rich and complex as the textile itself, but the cloth has proved surprisingly versatile to the changing winds of politics and fashion trends, uniforms and tourist trinkets, and catwalks and clans.
Intrigued? Click on to discover the surprising history of tartan.