We usually see Scots and Irish people wearing the same type of clothes known as kilts. These attires have a historical importance, but who is the real hero behind them?
They are tartans representing specific clans and districts. The world is home to more than 1,500 tartans, and each one has a particular price tag. Some of the tartans are expensive while a majority are budget-friendly. The primary concern is why some tartans are costly, and here we will shed light on it.
What Is Tartan?
Before we discuss the factors that affect the price of tartans or make them expensive, let’s define tartan. Tartans are specific crisscrossed patterns on the kilts that Scots and Irish people have worn for centuries.
Once, tartans were specific to Ireland and Scotland. Now the art of making tartans has leaped over state boundaries, and many countries are crafting and wearing tartans as a fashion item. Remember,
this factor contributes to the prices of tartan as well. Not only this one, but the list of factors making tartan costly is a bit large that we are going to discuss now.
Factors Affecting The Price Of Tartan
Undoubtedly, the boundaries impact the tartan’s price. Most tartans developed in other countries are not cultural ones but for fashion purposes. If we specifically talk about the historical tartan, you will find many different factors letting you pay a significant amount on tartans. Have a look at these factors.
Traditional Element
As mentioned earlier, there are more than 1500 tartans. Some of them are inexpensive because they are universal or not specified to any clan. However, if we mainly talk about the expensive tartans, they are mostly traditional.
Countries other than Scotland and Ireland do not produce tartans from a historical point of view; they prefer design and fashion instead. On the other hand, central countries make tartans to admire their heritage, so they have to keep many aspects in front. It requires extra effort, which adds to the prices.
Unique Patterns And Designs
Similar to being a part of tradition, the pattern designs you see on a tartan also impact the price slab. You may not understand the challenge of making designs as a wearer, but tartan developers know it very well.
Tartans mostly have different patterns and designs. Some sound simple, while others are complex designs, and everyone can differentiate the efforts behind making simple and unique designs. So, it is understood that patterns and designs on tartans contribute equally to deciding the price of a tartan.
Fabric Type And Quality
Today, tartans are not made with a single fabric. Many fabrics are used, including acrylic, cotton, wool, etc. All of these fabrics are made with different ingredients and require different levels of hard work.
Besides the fabric type, the fabric quality matters as well. All the fabrics used to make tartans have different qualities. Companies realize that not everyone can afford the same standard of tartan, so they provide variations. Nonetheless, the finer the quality, the higher the prices.
How Tartan Is Made?
This factor must have ranked at the top of this element’s list of factors affecting the price of tartans. Companies today use machines to make tartans in bulk. They have no option other than it because the demand for tartans continuously increases worldwide. However, meeting this demand only with the help of machines is possible.
Now, have a look at the other side of the wall. Some people in countries like Scotland and Ireland still prefer wearing hand-woven tartans and unique designs to pay tribute to their heritage. Therefore, you can compare the level of hard work between machine-made and hand-woven tartans and figure out who deserves more prices.
Reputation Of Brand
The last point on the list is the reputation of any brand. Scotland leads the list of countries where tartans are in most demand, and everyone there wears tartan kilts. This also proves that Scotland may have the most tartan-making factories. However, all of these mills possess different reputations.
Are you still trying to understand? Let us clarify our point with an example. Nike and a local garment manufacturer always have a different reputation. Likewise, their price brackets also vary from each other. People happily spend the demanded prices on a significant product when shopping from Nike. At the same time, the option to bargain at a local brand is always open, no matter how cheap the products it already offers.
Most Expensive Tartans
As we know, the number of tartans today does not have a fixed number and is increasing continuously. A majority of companies offer their own prices. You may get a budget-friendly tartan from an expensive company. On the other hand, the other standard company can provide the same product at very high prices comparatively.
So, if we talk about a single tartan considered the costliest in this era, Holland & Sherry, a mil in Pebbles, offers it. The price of tartan will shock you. They sell 1 square meter at 500 pounds, which means you need 4000-5000 pounds to buy that tartan. Now, the question is what makes it most expensive. It is 100% Mongolian cashmere and it stands in the list of most costly thread worldwide.
Conclusion
Though kilts are traditional Scottish attires, the tartan makes them more historically rich. Tartans are the patterns on kilts and serve as the representatives of clans or districts in this era. This element adds to the cost of tartan kilts. Still, other factors besides this, like fabric quality, patterns and designs, the reputation of a brand, and many others, also makes a tartan expensive. Likewise, if we talk about the most costly tartan currently, a tartan by Holland & Sherry costs you 500 pounds per square meter. Why Is Tartan So Expensive?
