At the beginning of the nineteenth century tartan was worn in the wild and unruly Highlands of Scotland, but hardly at all by civilised lowland Scots and never by Englishmen or foreigners. Yet within twenty years everything had changed. The world-famous, best-selling poems and novels of Walter Scott along with the Royal Visit of George IV to Edinburgh which Scott arranged and during which the King wore Highland Dress, converted tartan into the universally recognised symbol of Scotland.
In the words of Eric Kinloch Anderson, "It is largely because of tartan that our family celebrates a long history going back to 1868. Family businesses and tailoring businesses come and go, but Kinloch Anderson has survived and thrived into its sixth generation because of its unique reputation as Scotland's tartan and Highland Dress specialists."
"Neither Walter Scott nor my great-grandfather, who moved the company from bespoke tailoring towards Highland Dress, could have guessed that tartan would become so fashionable all over the world. In the twenty first century it is almost as popular in China and Japan as on its native heath and new tartans are designed and registered every year."
This book commemorates the lifestyle and achievement of Kinloch Anderson, the tailoring and kiltmaking company that began as William Anderson & Sons in 1868. From its modest beginnings the Company progressed from a partnership between William Anderson and two sons, to form a limited company which remains the Kinloch Anderson company of today, managed by the fifth and sixth generations of the family. It tells the story of generations of individuals supporting the mission for excellence and sharing their knowledge and expertise with all who read it.