Our 2024 Tartan Design’s

What a year 2024 has been so far for Houston kiltmakers for Tartan design. We of course having been bringing you the best highland wear available since 1909 of course but this is standard with us. What you may not know is our shop is ran by of the best tartan designers in the industry.

We have sure been kept busy in 2024 with our highest amount of commissioned tartan designs yet and we aren’t even close to 2025 yet. Our tartan design experts Ken & Ewan MacDonald have been innovators in the tartan design field for many years designing for a wide array of big clients and families all over the world.

Meet Our Experts–

Ken & Ewan MacDonald are 3rd & 4th generations of our family business. Established in 1909 by Ken MacDonalds great grandfather William Houston, who started this business as a gentlemen’s outfitters. Still standing over a century later Ken has led the business the past 49 years to great success and achievement in the highland wear industry. Continuing on his fathers legacy Ewan MacDonald Ken’s son, is leading the business into further success & being an innovator in his field making us a world renowned kiltmakers.

But it is not only our premium highland wear tartan that is instantly recognised. Houston kiltmakers has been talk of the town for our portfolio of Tartan designs we have accumulated. Tartan design services are relatively still new in only emerging in the past few decades. Ken MacDonald has been designing since the mid 1980s with him designing for many big clients and presenting a tartan to the royals. Ewan has been pushing the industry forward with his designs too, making Houston kiltmakers the hot spot for tartan design commissions.

Meet Ken MacDonald –

Ken MacDonald is a highly respected figure in the industry, recognized for his significant contributions as a former Vice Chairman of the Scottish Tartan Authority and three-time Deacon of the Incorporation of Weavers of Glasgow (Est. 1514). Among his notable achievements is the designing of the Houston’s Bute Heather collection, a contemporary and innovative design hire tartan collection that has revolutionized the kilt hire industry in Scotland and remains a best-seller for over a decade.

Ken’s expertise has also led to highlights of his career such as presenting the American National Tartan to former President George W. Bush and the Glasgow Miles Better Tartan to Prince Charles, who is now King, as well as to Princes William and Harry.

Throughout his career, Ken has developed a wide range of corporate tartans for clients such as London North Eastern Railway, the Wallace Society, Accord Hospice, and RAF Kinross. A pivotal career highlight was designing the Apollo 12 tartan, which he personally presented to Alan Bean, the fourth man to walk on the moon.

Meet Ewan MacDonald –

As a leading innovator, Ewan is driving the business forward by advancing the shop and taking on multiple new projects while establishing himself as a prominent tartan designer.

Despite being in the early stages of his career, Ewan has already gained significant recognition, having worked on tartan designs and weaving projects for big name clients such as, Domino’s, Aldi, NASA, Barclays, Skyrora, and the Robert Burns World Federation. His collaboration with his father and extensive connections within the industry have provided Ewan with a deep understanding and expertise in all aspects of highland wear and design.

Ewan possesses a keen eye for kilt outfit styling, curation, and trend forecasting. His attention to detail has been showcased in projects such as the tartan design for the inauguration of Clan Chief Buchanan. Additionally, Ewan has substantial experience in designing personalized and wedding tartans for many families & couples.

Why opt to Design a Tartan?-

Tartans are designed for a wide range of purposes, typically falling into two main categories: personal and commercial use. Many individuals or couples may design a personal tartan to symbolize the union of their families, often for events like weddings. Others may create a tartan if they don’t have a direct ancestry link to an existing tartan or clan through their heritage or surname. Additionally, some people design a tartan simply to represent their connection to Scottish culture or symbolise their scottish heritage. Tartans are often designed to commemorate special occasions or to create something uniquely personal that reflects their heritage or symbolism.

Tartan designs are increasingly being creating & used for commercial and branding purposes. This trend has gained popularity due to the distinctive impact tartans can have on a brand’s identity, particularly for Scottish brands. Incorporating a bespoke tartan into various aspects of a brand’s identity can strengthen its connection to Scottish heritage and resonate with its consumer base. In the corporate world, tartans have become a valuable branding tool, especially for Scottish businesses, as they enhance brand identity, heritage, and appeal to Scottish consumers.

Our 2024 Tartan Designs-

It has been our busiest year yet with our experts taking on the most projects we ever have but what a year its been so far and we aren’t even done yet. lets cover a few we have done in 2024;

Nasa-

This tartan was created to commemorate the development, launch, operations, and scientific endeavours of the Europa Clipper project, which aims to study Jupiter’s icy moon, Europa. It also honours the many hundreds of people worldwide who are part of the project team.

The primary scientific objective of the Europa Clipper is to determine if there are habitable environments beneath Europa’s icy surface. The mission is designed to explore the characteristics of Europa’s ice shell, the ocean underneath, and its composition and geology.

The colours of the tartan are inspired by images of Jupiter and Europa, symbolizing the ice and dust on Europa’s surface, the diverse hues of Jupiter, and the vastness of interplanetary space. Due to be launching in October, we are just waiting for the tartan to be woven. This was a great tartan to have the pleasure of working on.

Aonach Mor-

Ewan designed the Aonach Mor tartan as a new addition to Houston’s exclusive collection. This hire tartan, was his first solo mass-produced design, it draws inspiration from contemporary popular colours like light greens, blues, browns, and greys. It was exclusively released at Houston Kiltmakers in May 2024, adding a modern touch to our range of tartans, which includes the iconic Bute heather collection designed by his father, Ken MacDonald.

Gainbridge –

This year we had the pleasure of designing a tartan for Gainbridge Investment Company. Gainbridge is a digital investment platform under Group 1001 that simplifies annuities and other financial products for consumers. It offers low-fee, flexible annuities through an easy-to-use online platform, making it ideal for tech-savvy individuals and those planning for retirement. Gainbridge focuses on transparency and security, aiming to make investment and retirement planning straightforward and accessible without the need for a financial advisor. They are known for sponsoring sports & formula 1 cars.

Due to their existing striking colour branding we wanted to reflect this in the tartan and the outcome is amazing. This tartan was received very well and has gone on to be made into Christmas items.

Boeing –

In partnership with Boeing, this design was collaboration for a tartan to represent the brands logo & colour scheme.

Boeing has a long-standing partnership with the UK, dating back over 80 years. It employs more than 4,000 people across 30 locations and has invested over £300 million directly since 2015. Boeing’s activities in the UK include significant contributions to both the aerospace sector and the armed forces, with over 450 aircraft in operation. The company collaborates with numerous UK universities and supports a vast network of over 950 domestic suppliers, having spent £13.7 billion with the UK supply chain since 2015.

It was a very interesting project with the tartan coming out beautifully. We feel very honoured to be picked out for this project to design & make this tartan. The Tartan looks fantastic and there are plans to make kilts from the cloth.

Association of Hackney carriage drivers of the city of Edinburgh-

This tartan was created for the Association of Hackney Carriage Drivers of the City of Edinburgh (CIC) using colours associated with the City of Edinburgh and the Saltire.

The Association of Hackney Carriage Drivers of the City of Edinburgh represents the interests of licensed taxi (hackney carriage) drivers within Edinburgh. The organization serves as an advocacy and support group for its members, addressing various issues related to the taxi industry in the city, such as regulatory changes, fare structures, licensing matters, and working conditions.

They work closely with local authorities, including the City of Edinburgh Council, to ensure that the concerns and rights of hackney carriage drivers are considered in policy-making and that the standards of the taxi service in Edinburgh are maintained.

Our Special Weave Gallery-

We have just introduced a special weave section to our website gallery available here. This shows you a selection of images from tartan design weaves, production & final kilt outfits made. The reflects a wide variety of designs and mix of corporate and personal tartans.

For a more in depth look at our portfolio, you can check our our latest designs and we also have brochures on tartan design & special weaves.

For any enquires or questions on tartan design we would love to welcome you instore or alternatively you can reach us at [email protected] or call us on 0141 889 4879

You can browse & read more about our tartan design services, process, pricing & gallery here.