Overview

I have found it very interesting and informative looking deeper into tartan with it's history and use's today. The most interesting thing I found was the fact that people are still wanting and like tartan and that designers have found interesting ways to reinvent it, 'The new jacket is low-waisted, double-breasted with two buttons, and cut in double-face Prince of Wales check. It's about giving a new dimension to a classic aesthetic.' Stefano Pilati, Yves Saint Laurent, Vogue. I would like to use the idea of taking a traditional technique or pattern and adding details or changing the colour to create a modern feel within my work both drawings and practical work. I also like the idea of taking something traditional like tartan and rather then weaving it in the traditional way maybe print it instead to change the feel of it. I found my trip to London didn't really help with gathering research for this trend report however it has helped with other parts of my work and I also collected a lot of interesting samples. However if I did another trend report I would visit London again and visit more relevant exhibitions and shops because it is a great source of research. This trend report has given me lots of ideas for my practical work and has made me look further into the industry, which I will need for the future and I now understand the practical side of tartan which goes along with my weaving workshops.

Contextualising

Osborne and Little beaded cushion

Designers Guild bright coloured cushion 

Tartan today is a mix of traditional and modern this is both within fashion and interiors.

 For interior designers use the traditional pattern but add small changes or hints that bring it up to date for modern tastes. This is shown in Osborne and Little's cushion with the beading and the colours used by Designers Guild on there cushion.

Vivienne Westwood Gold 2011

 McQueen's Highland Rape 1995

Fashion designers such as Vivienne Westwood and Alexander McQueen took tartan an unfashionable trend and transformed it into what it is today. How they used tartan in there collections made it more acceptable in contemporary fashion. The collection in titled 'Highland Rape' was the beginning of McQueen's career in 1995.

Tartan in high street fashion also uses the traditional pattern with a modern twist. This can be seen in Topshop's take on a checked shirt with frayed edges.

Topshop 2011

Matthew Barney Cremaster 3 2002

Artists have also used tartan in their pieces like contemporary artist Matthew Barney. He is a multimedia artist who created the film series 'The Cremaster Cycle' a five part series created between 1995 and 2002. The 3rd film included a character dressed in a stereotypical highland outfit including tartan. The films are a very complex and surreal mix of historical, autobiographical, mythological and phantasmagorical stories.

http://www.designersguild.com/
 http://www.osborneandlittle.co.uk/
 http://www.viviennewestwood.co.uk/
 http://makingtheunfinished.wordpress.com/2011/05/10/alexander-mcqueen-highland-rape-aw-1995/
http://www.topshop.com/
Bonham-Carter, Charlotte/Hodge, David (2009) The Contemporary Art Book

Contemporary Tartan

Vivienne Westwood

Vivienne Westwood 'Man'
Winter 11/12

Vivienne Westwood 'Man'
Winter 11/12

Man collection

Her uses of tartan in this collection is varied. Some are very big and bold whereas some are more subtle. She also used the same check but in totally different ways.

Gold Label and Anglomanic 

Vivienne Westwood 'Gold'
Winter 11/12

Vivienne Westwood 'Anglomanic
Winter 11/12

 The use of checks in these collections are very different. The Gold collection is very sophisticated especially with the silver coat and the hint of colour from the checks. Whereas the Anglomanic collection is much more commercial. This red skirt and jacket really embody the feel of traditional tartan.

Duckie brown 

Duckie Brown winter 11/12

Duckie Brown winter 10/11

Duckie Brown's winter 10/11 collection was based on the post punk era, and used a lot of checks. Their winter 11/12 collection was based on an exercise in extremes. The checks here have a totally different feel, a lot more relaxed to fit with the fur coat.

Designers Guild

Designers Guild
11/12

Designers Guild
11/12

These pieces are very different, the blanket has a very traditional use of checks because of the faded look and the deep colours whereas the cushion has a much more modern feel especially with the bright block colours.

Osborne and Little

Osborne and Little
11/12

Osborne and Little
11/12

It seems that a lot of designers are mixing traditional tartan with pieces with modern twists in their collections as shown here in these two cushions, designed by Osborne and Little.

Topshop

Topshop 2012

Topshop 2012

These shirts are from Topshop's 90s grunge collection and give an effective twist to the normal check shirt, with the cut sleeves and frayed edges.

http://www.viviennewestwood.co.uk/
http://www.vogue.co.uk/fashion/autumn-winter-2011/mens/duckie-brown
http://www.designersguild.com/
http://www.osborneandlittle.co.uk/
http://www.topshop.com/

Tartan History

Tartan was believed to have grown out of a Celtic past. Tartan was then produced in different regions or districts of Scotland. It was produced by local weavers for the local tastes and only used the available natural dyes because of this the tartans were very different and recognizable to the specific region. In the mid 19th century the tartan started being produced for different clans, families or institutions. In April of 1815 the Highland Society of London started the naming and registration of official clan tartans. 

The following are just two examples of the many tartan produced in Scotland.

Macleod Clan and Tartan

Macleod Tartan

The Macleod clan occupies the oldest castle in Scotland. Their motto is 'hold fast' and the badge is a bulls head between two flags. They have a very distinctive yellow and black tartan which is often criticized by others for being similar to a horse blanket. Their other tartan is more sober, being dark green, blue and black checks with red and yellow stripes. 

Robertson Tartan

Robertson Clan and Tartan

The Robertson clan motto is 'Virtutis gloria marces' (Glory is the reward of valour) and the badge is a hand  holding an imperial crown. There are two Robertson tartans both with red backgrounds and blue and green checks. The less commonly worn tartan has a white stripe on it.

Tartan Construction 

The construction of tartan is a simple weave. Every warp thread crosses every weft thread at right angles. A block colours created when a weft thread crosses the same colour as the warp thread, when two different coloured warp and weft thread cross it creates a mixture of the two colours. This creates the recognizable pattern and colours of tartan. The more colours you use the more subdued the tartan will be. 

Grant, J. (1992) The clans & tartans of Scotland. Ware: Wordsworth.
http://lochcarron.com/history/robertson.html
http://www.tartangenerator.com/site/tartan-construction.htm