A New Tartan in the Old Town - Edinburgh District Tartan

Edinburgh tartan is a district tartan, meaning that it is not associated or linked to any clan, but to the city itself. The tartan was designed by Hugh MacPherson to commemorate and celebrate the 1970 Commonwealth Games which were being held in Edinburgh. Edinburgh tartan draws its influence from the blue and white of the Saltire and combines this with the green and reds found in the surrounding landscape to create this bright and colourful tartan.

Edinburgh tartan was a key influence in the design of the district tartans of Dunedin, New Zealand and Dunedin, Florida; both of which draw their name from the Gaelic name for Edinburgh, "Dùn Èideann". Edinburgh itself is twinned with the city of Dunedin, New Zealand which was established by Scottish emigrants, notably, Rev. Thomas Burns who was the nephew of the famous Scottish poet, Robert Burns. You can find out more about this link in our previous blog post, 'Where's Rabbie?'

Edinburgh, the city for which the tartan is named, is the capital city of Scotland and has been recognised as such since at least the 15th Century. The city is located on the south shore of the Firth of the Forth and is the second largest city in Scotland, with Glasgow being the largest. Edinburgh is steeped with history, with both its 'Old Town' and 'New Town' recognised as UNESCO World Heritage Sites, both of which play a key role in securing the city as the second most popular tourist destination in the UK. The city is home to the Scottish Government which is seated within Holyrood Park in the shadow of Arthur's Seat; in sight of the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the official residence of the monarch in Scotland.

Edinburgh is also host to the 'Edinburgh Fringe Festival' which is the largest arts festival in the world. It is held in the city each August, and is surpassed only by the Olympic Games in terms of global ticketed events. The city becomes a hive of activity for the month of August, with people flocking to the city to experience the rich art and culture that the festival has to offer. There is a wide range of acts on offer throughout the month, ranging from, comedy, to theatre, to dance and musicals; with over 4000 shows and 3 million tickets sold in 2019.

Edinburgh Castle roosts above the city of Edinburgh and is one of Scotland's most recognisable landmarks. The castle is one of the oldest fortified places in Europe and holds the record of the most besieged place in Britain; with the castle changing hands many times throughout history. It has had a number of different uses over the years, serving as a royal residence, a military garrison, a prison and a fortress; the castle was even home to an elephant for several years! The elephant was the mascot of the 78th Highland Regiment who had brought the animal back after a tour of Sri Lanka in 1838; it was even known to enjoy sharing a wee dram' or pint with the soldiers. Today Edinburgh Castle is a world famous visitor attraction, drawing in over 1.7 million visitors each year.

Ahead of the launch of our Spring Collection, we spent the day in West Princes Street Gardens, Edinburgh, to get some shots of our Edinburgh tartan in action. It was an amazing day (if a little wet and windy...) and the bold colours of the mini kilt and trainers looked great paired with our all new shade of sweater, black grape. Lovingly made using fabric woven in the Scottish Borders in a mill steeped in tradition, the mini kilt is a firm favourite with its cheeky above the knee style. This is a great look for a spring stroll around the historic city, with the tartan's brilliant colours perfectly back dropped by the city's streets.