The UKFT President, Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal, visited The College of Master Kilt Tailors (CMKT) in November where she met the team of kilt tailors and students to see and hear how they are raising awareness and supporting master kilt tailors and their professionalism, and the perpetuity of the heritage craft of kilt tailoring.

Marion Foster, the founder of the CMKT, introduced The Princess Royal to Mary Phillips, a fellow trainer and assessor. Together Marion and Mary demonstrated the CMKT’s pioneering work of safeguarding the endangered heritage craft with its innovative online training programme “Bespoke tailoring of the kilt, its variations, and restorations” and how it plays its part in distinctive ways. Examples of this are the depth and breadth of the programme content and quality of training, using technological advances that capture nuances of the craft and ensures lifelong learning, offering immersive experiences, digitisation, and simulation to carry ancient wisdom into the digital age.

The Princess Royal heard how the CMKT is unique in how it delivers the training programme and is the only one accredited in the UK, which demonstrates the quality of the training and the student’s proven mastery. The Accredited Training Programme is regulated by the Skills and Education Group Awards and has just become an approved training programme by the UK Fashion & Textile Association (UKFT), whose president is The Princess Royal.

The Princess Royal then met students Juliet Roy, a physiotherapist working towards becoming an accredited master kilt tailor and Jo West, an education and health consultant who created a kilt for her son to wear at his wedding. They discussed their student experience and aspirations, and this was followed by a recording of remote international students describing their experience.

As a passionate advocate for the UK fashion and textile industry, The Princess Royal heard about the CMKTs “work in progress” presented by Anita Williamson, BA Hons Embroidered & Woven Textiles. Anita described the kilt as a family heirloom which creates an emotional attachment, is amongst the most commanding, romantic, and spectacular of all the symbols of Scotland, and a much-loved recognisable National Treasure. This being the case, the Master Kilt Tailor must have the knowledge and skills to restore and beautify these cherished garments using their tailoring skills and the invisible and visible techniques of past times and other cultures, such as Japanese Sashiko. The CMKT also presented The Princess Royal with a book signed by the author on Boro, which is another Japanese mending technique.

The CMKT is very much focused on reducing the carbon footprint of the heritage costume and contributing to the circular economy. It does this by futureproofing all bespoke creations, in addition to the skilful restoration and renovation of both cherished and discarded kilts so they can once again become wearable and wonderful family heirlooms.

The CMKT embraces other creative labour-intensive techniques that enhance the Highland attire including the knotted purled fringing for full, fly and piper’s plaids and the five knotted lattice fringing for sashes and stoles. Ellen Wieant created a beautiful tartan silk stole to present to The Princess Royal using the five knotted lattice fringing and the Italian rolled hem. The tartan she used was the
“Edinburgh Military Tattoo 50^th” designed by Peter MacDonald, Tartan Historian.

Dr David Easton, wearing a bespoke tailored kilt by Askival of Strathearn, was presented to The Princess Royal. The kilt demonstrated what to look for in the perfect fit and movement and was created using another of Peter MacDonald’s projects. This was based on a recovered unnamed tartan and was woven by Lochcarron weavers emulating the old vegetable dyes and the beautiful historical herringbone weave at the selvedge. The unnamed tartan has been adopted by The Royal Celtic Society, of which the Princess Royal is patron.

The Princess Royal met Poppy Jarratt, UNESCO Project Coordinator, Perth UNESCO City of Craft and Folk Art. Poppy’s presence represents the vital collaborative working among sector lead bodies and representatives of community intangible cultural heritage practitioners. Poppy is working to develop partnerships with the 65 other UNESCO Craft Cities, and 350 UNESCO Creative Cities, highlighting and creating opportunities for local makers in Perth and Kinross, strengthening networks and connections between creative communities, and platforming craft as a practice. CMKT aligns with the goals of the UNESCO City of Craft and Folk Arts designation, who is extremely supportive of the pivotal work the College is doing.

Poppy said: “As the Focal Point of the UK’s first and only UNESCO City of Crafts and Folk Art, it was brilliant to be able to welcome Her Royal Highness to Perth, and to see her interest in the College of Master Kilt Tailors. The safeguarding of traditional crafts and the wealth of knowledge within the college is admirable and is so pertinent to our city’s UNESCO designation.”

As The Princess departed, she was presented with posies of Scottish flowers by the Founder’s granddaughters, who will always remember the wonderful occasion when The Princess Royal showed interest in the College of Master Kilt Tailors and learned about its vocation and its legacy.

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