Our national and district tartans have always been about more than colour and pattern.

Many were developed in collaboration with representatives of the countries and communities they celebrate, incorporating national colours, symbols, landscapes, cultural references and moments from history. The result is a collection of tartans in which the stories of people and place are quite literally woven into the cloth.

For nearly 30 years, International Tartans has explored what tartan can be beyond the traditional clan sett, creating distinctive designs that celebrate identity, connection, heritage and shared history.

Over the years, a number of our tartans have also played a part in charitable, community and cultural projects, helping to raise funds, bring people together and create connections between Scotland and communities around the world. We’re proud that this forms part of their story.

Today, our focus is on celebrating and developing that design legacy. We aim to:

• Inspire fresh thinking and creativity around tartan as a living art form within fashion, culture and heritage
• Create and showcase distinctive tartan designs inspired by people, places, history and identity
• Produce traditional and artisan clothing, accessories, crafts and furnishings using predominantly natural textiles
• Grow the International Tartans collection through thoughtful collaborations, commissions and new product ideas
• Champion Scottish design, craftsmanship and the skills involved in taking a tartan from an idea on paper to cloth that can be worn, used and enjoyed
• Preserve and share the stories behind our tartans, including the charitable and community projects they have supported throughout their history

At the heart of International Tartans is a simple idea: tartan can tell far more stories than those of clan and ancestry alone.

Ours is a growing archive of those stories, created in Scotland and connected to people and places around the world.