Crafting New Traditions in Scotland

A Celebration of Fashion, Beauty & Heritage

By Jordan Staggs

It is unsurprising that a place so abundant in stories and dreamlike landscapes as Scotland would be full of creative people inspired by its history, beauty, and collective experiences. For centuries, its craftspeople have defined and redefined Scottish culture, sharing its rich story through fine art, the written word, photography, textiles, fashion, and more. Museums throughout the country celebrate its makers with a reverence well deserved. In a time when digital engines claim to “create,” it is more important than ever to look back at where true art comes from—the soul of the people who make it and those who are touched by it. I was fortunate enough to experience a taste of Scottish tradition and art through textiles, fashion, and fragrance on a recent trip, and am thrilled to share these makers and storytellers who are keeping art alive with a beating pulse.

Fashionable Finds in Fair Dundee

Just over an hour’s drive from Scotland’s capital, Dundee is the nation’s fourth-largest city, situated on the River Tay and known for its vibrant arts community. It is brimming with galleries, theatres, universities, and museums. It has raised many notable artists, actors, and designers of all types. It’s no wonder Dundee is the UK’s first and only UNESCO City of Design.

Currently celebrating local costume designers is The McManus: Dundee’s Art Gallery and Museum in the heart of the city. The beautiful exhibition Curtain Call: Costumes from Stage and Screen runs through November 15, 2026. The exhibit “celebrates the creative power and global influence of costume designers who hail from or were inspired by Dundee,” including Jane Petrie, Ros Little, Alex Reid, and other creatives who have collaborated with Dundee REP and Scottish Dance Theatre. The dazzling display showcases everything from a gown worn by Claire Foy in The Crown to Meryl Streep’s Emmeline Pankhurst costume from Suffragette, Tom Hiddleston’s vicar’s outfit and Claire Danes’s dress from The Essex Serpent, and much more. Other theatrical costumes are on loan from the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Scottish Opera. Concept drawings, notes, and journals round out the exhibition, bringing guests into the world of the talented Dundee designers who created each iconic look.

Don’t miss The McManus’s other incredible halls and exhibitions, from the Victoria Gallery full of original Scottish and English oil paintings to the exhibit Border Crossings: Ten Scottish Masters of Modern Art, running through September 20. Other historic and contemporary pieces draw the eye in every corner throughout the gorgeously preserved Gothic Revival building.

From The McManus, it’s a short walk to the waterfront—stop by Quayside Bar and Grill on the way for a cheese toastie—where the striking V&A Dundee museum became the architectural focal point when it opened in 2018. Designed by Japanese architect Kengo Kuma, the building itself is a highlight, inspired by the eastern cliffs of Scotland and the nation’s maritime history. Inside, its vast halls are home to permanent collections and rotating exhibitions.

Now through January 17, 2027, fans of fashion and its impact on culture should visit V&A Dundee for Catwalk: The Art of the Fashion Show, a multifaceted exhibition featuring haute couture and ready-to-wear looks from runway shows and fashion houses throughout history. The museum shares, “A UK exclusive to V&A Dundee, Catwalk: The Art of the Fashion Show charts the dramatic evolution of the catwalk, from the private salons of the late nineteenth century to today’s immersive, live-streamed runway experiences. The show brings together landmark examples from renowned houses, including Alexander McQueen, Balenciaga, Chanel, Dior, Maison Margiela, Vivienne Westwood, Mary Quant, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, and Charles Jeffrey, among others.”

From the most famous labels to modern innovators, the Catwalk show spans the museum’s exhibition halls with “a rich mix of film, photography, original garments, and archival materials. It marks seminal moments from iconic runway presentations throughout the last century and explores their lasting cultural impact.” The show is curated in partnership with the Vitra Design Museum in Germany.

“Fashion” seems to be the current buzzword at V&A Dundee and even around the city. The museum has launched a new annual fashion program. In September, it will showcase the work of Scottish graduate students in fashion, and will host other events throughout the month as part of the larger Fashion Britain series.

Meanwhile, Design & Disability, on display now through October 4, features about 170 pieces that celebrate disabled, deaf, and neurodivergent creators across all fields of design. Other recent exhibits at the museum have included a look at Turkish red textiles inspired by Glasgow’s relationship with India, jute pieces made in Dundee (once known as “Juteopolis”), collections of Fair Isle knits, Ayrshire lace, Paisley patterns, and, of course, Tartan. So popular was the V&A’s Tartan exhibition in 2023 and 2024 that it will be on tour starting in Canada for 2027.

“It’s rare to have a single fashion exhibition outside of London,” shares co-curator Kristy Hassard, “so to have this many is really excellent.”

Coming in November 2026 on the first stop of its UK exhibition run is David Bowie: On Tour, which will include legendary costumes and other memorabilia from the life and works of the late music, film, and pop culture icon. Vivienne Westwood & Jewellery opens in March 2027, giving viewers a closer look at the life and style of the revered fashion designer.

Visit VAM.ac.uk/Dundee and McManus.co.uk to learn more and see what else is on at these unforgettable Dundee museums.

Cashmere Up the Coast

A scenic train ride up the eastern coast from Dundee to Montrose, followed by a short ride south to Lunan Bay, brings guests to a truly unique destination in Scotland. And I’m not only referring to the castle ruin on a hill above the beach, where Vikings once roamed, and World War II soldiers later hid out in the “pillbox” lookout stationed just off the coast for enemy ships or U-boats. This is Lunan Bay Farm, the country’s only regenerative cashmere goat farm.

Farmer Jillian McEwan and her family didn’t initially dream of starting a cashmere farm, she says. “We originally sourced the goats to improve the farm’s soil health.” But after learning more about them and falling in love with the process of harvesting, spinning, and educating others about cashmere, the journey “from goat to garment” became a business that continues to grow in unexpected ways. McEwan shares that Scotland attempted cashmere farming in the 1980s, but the collective farming effort and demand just weren’t there at the time. Now, thanks to the internet and growth in the luxury fashion market, plus many brands seeking product from sustainable, environmentally responsible suppliers, there has been a surge in agriculture. Agri-tourism has also increased, she adds, as visitors seek more unique experiences like the Lunan Bay Farm provides.

Guests can go behind the scenes to meet the friendly (and eager for treats) goats, get a spinning demonstration and history lesson in the Yarn Barn, stop by the gift shop, and explore how this fine, low-impact cashmere is developed in collaboration with leading Scottish mill and brand, Johnstons of Elgin, which supplies cashmere to well-known brands including Burberry, Chanel, and Hermès, to name a few.

If you visit in springtime, you may even get the chance to experience the farm’s adorably hilarious Goats in Coats event. Citing its accidental origins, McEwan shares that one year her mother, Jennifer, knitted a small coat for one of the bottle-fed baby goats named Dennis. After Dennis and his little coat went viral on social media, they shared the pattern for making the coats, and hundreds of people from around the world began knitting and sending their designs for the farm’s other babies. “We expected that we would receive maybe twenty or so hand-knitted goat coats from local knitting groups, but imagine our surprise and joy when parcels and bags of hand-crafted creations started flooding in! From Bristol to Banff, the parcels kept coming. Every day our postie arrived laden with woolly treasures. Talented folk from our local community dropped off bag after bag of their handmade creations too. All in all, over 500 goat coats were donated by the time our newborns arrived!” The phenomenon evolved into what is now a four-day festival and knitting competition with plenty of local crafters, food, and fun.

With over 160 goats across their 600-acre farm on the Angus coast, Lunan Bay shows no signs of slowing down, but its team is committed to making sure every goat is well cared for and that their cashmere travels from goat to garment in the most ethical and sustainable way. “It’s a legacy,” McEwan says. “Everything we’re doing is to create pioneering works, as the first cashmere producer in Scotland. It’s exciting and great—we especially love having people from all over the world visit on tours and become part of our story in that way.”

Visit LunanBayFarm.com to learn more.

Celebrating Heritage with Handbags

Back in Edinburgh, heritage meets hip at the Islander Workshop Experience. Walking into one of their four locations within the city is like venturing into both a luxury fashion house and an old-timey crafter’s shop all at once. Rows and rows of leather and vegan leather bags and straps, hardware, and accents line the walls, waiting for each guest to become a designer with a unique vision. This handbag-making workshop is the perfect outing for a girls’ trip, but that’s not to say gents won’t enjoy it, as there are plenty of options for all tastes and needs available, from cross-body purses to backpacks, totes, toiletry bags, and messenger bags.

When you enter the workshop, you’ll be greeted by your workshop leader and given a rundown of all the options for bags to build, which parts are needed to complete the design, and the options for colors and patterns. Islander is known for its beautiful Harris Tweed fabrics available for the lids, but a variety of heritage and modern Lochcarron Tartan elements are available at the Canongate location, as well. (I chose the traditional Wallace Tartan for the lid of my bag, in honor of my Scottish ancestors on my mother’s side.) The workshop leader guides the class step by step through the assembly process, offering individual help as needed to ensure each component is attached correctly.

The loveliest part of the workshop is spending time with those around you and seeing how each bag takes shape, mirroring the unique personality and style of every guest. You’ll be choosing colors and patterns, seeking advice on which strap to add, and laughing heartily while using a tiny screwdriver to create your masterpiece. Despite choosing from the same bunch of materials, every bag at our table turned out so differently! It was a memorable experience, and each bag is the perfect stylish souvenir.

Visit IslanderUK.com to learn more or book a workshop in Edinburgh, St. Andrews, or London.

Storytelling Through Scent

Another pioneer in Scotland’s fashion and beauty industry, founder Imogen Russon-Taylor of Kingdom Scotland celebrates the stories of Scottish people, places, and culture through luxury fragrances. A former team member at the global luxury powerhouse LVMH and a veteran of the craft spirits industry, Russon-Taylor launched Kingdom Scotland in 2018 after realizing there was no fine fragrance brand in Scotland. Tapping into her education as a geology and earth sciences student and lover of botanicals, she brought her brand to life in Edinburgh and has since focused on expanding with intention, one scent at a time.

“Slow branding has been part of the process,” she says. “It was important to me to use natural oils and packaging partners from the UK, preferably from Scotland.” Growth has ignited quickly, however, thanks to the popularity of Kingdom Scotland from the beginning. Its launch event took place at department store Harvey Nichols in Edinburgh, garnering a lot of buzz that only grew as more people fell in love with each scent.

The fragrance house’s current lineup includes four distinctive eau de parfums: Metamorphic, a richly spiced and award-winning scent inspired by Scotland’s complex geology with a nod to the world of whisky; Portal, which is luminous and transporting, capturing springtime in a dense Caledonian forest; Albaura celebrates notes of iced botanicals and frosted sharp berries, based on the inspiring life and works of Scottish botanist and Arctic explorer Isobel Wylie Hutchison; and finally Kingdom Botanica, whose verdant, floral, woody scent celebrates over 355 years of plant protection and adventure at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh.

Harking back to Russon-Taylor’s expertise in fine spirits, Kingdom Scotland has also partnered with The Macallan Scotch whisky to release two signature candle scents. Nurtured by Nature is reminiscent of The Macallan’s beautiful 485-acre Estate, home to the iconic Distillery, while Easter Elchies is inspired by the brand’s spiritual home—the Baronial Easter Elchies House at the heart of the Estate.

With storytelling and sustainability at its heart and Scottish heritage in its soul, it’s no wonder Kingdom Scotland has garnered plenty of accolades in its relatively young lifespan thus far. Kingdom Scotland has been named a three-time finalist in the Fragrance Foundation Awards, a finalist for Best Sustainable Business by Women’s Enterprise Scotland in 2024, and winner of the Archetype Award for Best Spicy Fragrance (Metamorphic) in the Marie Claire Fragrance Awards 2025. Imogen Russon-Taylor received the Business Woman of the Year 2024 award by Business Women Scotland and was named a finalist in the Great British Entrepreneur Awards 2024.

Kingdom Scotland also offers immersive Scent Experiences and Masterclasses, which the brand describes as “refined, multi-sensory events created for private clients, luxury brands, and corporate audiences. From seated scent workshops to curated whisky and fragrance pairings to bespoke collaborations with chefs and mixologists, these experiences illuminate the shared language of aroma, craftsmanship, and storytelling. Here, perfume becomes a cultural encounter, transporting guests through Scotland in scent.” I had the privilege of attending a Scent Experience with Imogen and a whisky tasting at The Balmoral in Edinburgh, in partnership with the hotel’s SCOTCH Bar, which was the perfect way to experience both brands and the mingling of history, luxury, and senses. A spritz of Kingdom Scotland’s Metamorphic eau de parfum and a sip of Glenmorangie will forever create a perfect time capsule moment of my first (but certainly not last) trip to Scotland.

Visit KingdomScotland.com to learn more. US readers can shop Kingdom Scotland fragrances online via Harrods and Les Senteurs.

— V —

---

To plan your trip, start exploring at VisitScotland.com.