Much of what we know about tartan and its associated symbolism is through a historical lens; in contrast, tartan exists as a fabric manufactured and used within Scotland today. This research aims to establish the relationship between tartan’s narratives and how these narratives affect how tartan is made and used. By considering tartan as an ever-evolving facet of living heritage, I consider how tartans’ values translate into design by centrally positioning the research on practitioners who use/make tartan, including reflections on my fashion design practice.

I present the fieldwork as a case study comprising of the following lenses: i) Heritage of Tartan, ii) Materiality and Making of Tartan iii) People who use Tartan. Within these lenses, I present several qualitative interviews with people who make and use tartan, including mill workers, tartan designers, seamstresses and fashion designers, which come together to bridge a holistic overview of motivations for using and making tartan. I analysed the data using thematic analysis, synthesising the insights through visual mapping. During the evaluation stage, I offered participants the chance to review the mapped data to clarify and reflect on their insights.

The key findings of the research highlight the narratives between tartans’ Scottish symbolism and the provenance of production, tartans’ Scottish values being a vehicle for sustainable production, and the emotional values of tartans adding sentimentality to design which can become lucrative commercial opportunities. The research also highlights conflicts between sustainable design and narrative and may interest researchers considering sustainable design practices within cultural settings. This research is also helpful for textile practitioners and designers interested in the role of cultural fabrics and researchers interested in exploring the role of living heritage within the textile sector.

A print copy of this thesis can be consulted in the GSA library.