Kiltmaking craft & couture: a celebration of Scottish heritage with a contemporary touch

A new exhibition and Edinburgh Fringe event will champion the art and craft of kiltmaking, exploring the heritage of the traditional Scottish garment through a contemporary lens.The collaboration between an Edinburgh boutique and award-winning artisans celebrates what is now an endangered craft, looking at the practice of kiltmaking, traditional pleating techniques and their contemporary translations.The boutique will be the venue for two Edinburgh Fringe events this August.

The first is an opportunity to hear Andrea Chappell talk about her practice of kiltmaking and how she incorporates vintage fabrics and deadstock alongside classic tartans and heritage tweeds.

The second event looks at the collaboration of three Scottish textile traditions: natural dyeing, hand weaving and hand-stitched kiltmaking.

Andrea will be joined by colourist Cavan Jayne and hand weavers Chantal Allan and Christopher McEvoy of Glasgow micro-mill VEVAR - Cavan and VEVAR have worked with fashion brands including Hermès and Alexander McQueen.

Each maker will talk about their own practice as well as the process of combining the crafts, blending their heritage skills to create contemporary kilts.Ahead of the events, the store will display a selection of kilts created by the Dye, Weave, Pleat artisans, allowing visitors to enjoy these truly exceptional garments and gain an insight into how they are designed and made.

The window display will be dedicated to a selection of the collective’s handstitched kilts with contemporary kilt pins by silversmith Kristin Beeler.