Scotland Re:Designed

Preview by Rena Niamh Smith | 05 Apr 2012

Scotland Week, established five years ago by the Scottish Government, it is a series of events taking place in America and Canada celebrating all things Caledonian, in culture and in commerce, kicking off with Tartan Day and with a lavish parade as a finale.

The 2012 Scotland Week schedule brings with it a new exhibition in New York entitled Scotland Re: Designed where 12 names including designers, milliners and weavers will present their talents to American buyers and press. Held from 9 - 11 April, aimed at promoting our contemporary, dynamic fashion and textile industry, which has an annual turnover of around £700 million, to key players in the market Stateside.

Chosen by a panel of industry experts, exhibitors include Timorous Beasties, designers with a name-play on their quirky designs often featuring animals and, befitting of the occasion, the words of the national bard; Beberoque, award-winning embellished bodywear designers with stockists worldwide; Henrietta Ludgate, whose slinky green silk gown Livia Firth wore to meet Obama and the Queen; and William Chambers, a milliner who counts Stephen Jones as a fan and is worn by Kelis on stage.

Having made a patterned cloth an unmistakable national emblem and exporting tweeds, wool and the iconic Paisley print across the world, textiles form a fundamental part of Scottish history and identity.
Tartan Day, held on the anniversary of the Declaration of Arbroath in 1320, may be unfamiliar in Scotland, but to many of the Scottish diaspora scattered worldwide, it is a link to home roots and heritage, something the government are keen to take further.

This new development will see the home-grown fashion industry recognised, one that employs thousands and educates hundreds in top fashion colleges. With Scots Christopher Kane, Holly Fulton, Louise Gray and Jonathan Saunders fêted as the next big thing on fashion’s international playing field, there is no doubt this marks a key recognition by the government and a helping hand in the careers of a dozen of tomorrow’s stars.

www.scotland.org www.creativescotland.com Scotland Re: Designed will take place from 9-12 Apr, 558 West 21st & 12th, Chelsea, New York, NY 10011. The works will also be exhibited from 28 Jun – 1 Jul at The Lighthouse in Glasgow http://www.visitscotland.org/ yearofcreativescotland-toolkit