Our original Ukraine tartan
The original Ukraine Tartan was designed in 2014 by ethnic Ukrainians in Canada in collaboration with David McGill (Eminent Tartan Designer and all-round good egg) and International Tartans. It was registered on the Scottish Tartan Register in 2018 and made its way around the world.
David designed all his nation state tartans to promote an outward-looking and inclusive Scotland; not restricted to those with clan ancestry. He meticulously explored the shared history and heritage between Scotland and 79 countries around the world, supporting people to consider how the fusion of colour and design could best reflect their culture, their heritage and the peoples’ story.
It’s what David did best – aside from being a ridiculously brilliant designer, he loved bringing representatives around the table to make sure they ‘owned’ the tartan and had a sense of pride about their place in the world whether as diaspora, duel or multi-heritage, immigrant or emigrant.
Colours in the Ukraine tartan
The colours in the tartan combine the colours of the Scottish Flag and the Ukrainian Flag. The yellow in the tartan is more muted than the yellow in the Ukrainian Flag. That’s because the Ukrainians who designed it wanted it to reflect the agricultural history, Ukraine being known for centuries as ‘The Bread Basket of Europe’
David had a special fondness for Ukraine and this tartan was one of his favourites. We know other Ukraine tartans have emerged since the war and that’s no bad thing. However, ours was the original. We none of us could have predicted in 2018, when our tartan was used for fundraising for the Global Wounded Warriors Project, how poignant design and application of this tartan would be.
Tartans for humanitarian good
International Tartans is a social enterprise and part of a registered charity. Our values are all based around applying Scotland’s icon, i.e. tartan for social and humanitarian good. The income from sale of our products is used here in Scotland for social good and internationally for humanitarian good.
Tartan is top-drawer fashion currency with the Houses of Vivienne Westwood and Alexander McQueen taking it onto the catwalks and out into the high street. However, the question that we continue to be asked more than any other by customers over the door at our shop is…..what tartan am I allowed to wear? Our answer is simple: wear whatever tartan resonates with you—whether it reflects a place, a country, a district, or a cause that you care about or colours and design composition that reflects your own style choices.
Keeping Ukraine in our hearts
With all that is happening in the world, it has sometimes been difficult to keep the people of Ukraine in our heads and our hearts. Our post is just a gentle reminder for everyone out there who cares, to keep on keeping on. Here is our Anna – Ukrainian-Scot. Anna is a heroine. In the early days of the war in Ukraine, Anna commissioned a huge lorry (all by her very own self) and got that lorry full of food, medicine and clothes off to Poland. Anna is as beautiful on the inside as she is on the outside.