"People say tartan is a thing of the past but that's not true," says broadcaster Kirsty Wark. She's keen to scotch that particular myth as she prepares to launch a two-part documentary into the history of Scottish fashion. The programme includes the work of Samantha McCoach, a contemporary designer who is reinventing tartan for a new generation.
Samantha says that she owes her fashion brand, Le Kilt, to her Italian born grandmother. "When she moved from Italy to Edinburgh she walked into a kilt-making shop on the Royal Mile, started pleating fabric and then became a kilt maker - and did that for 40 years," she explains. "She made me a little Black Watch kilt which I wore all the time when I was working at Fred Perry, and it became my uniform.
People kept asking me how to get one." Samantha launched her own brand in 2014, after she and her granny got to work on 12 different tartans at the kitchen table. Ten years later, she showcased her work in a much grander setting as part of a Dior showcase at Drummond Castle in Perthshire.
"It was an incredible experience to be involved in such a wonderful show with so many artistans and to be able to showcase my granny's story was very special." Dior has had links to Scotland since the fashion house was first established in 1946. It has staged several shows here, including the one at Drummond Castle last year which was attended by Anya Taylor Joy, Rosamund Pike and Jennifer Lawrence.
In 2012, Linlithgow Palace played host to a Chanel sho.
