What's this, a PVC kilt?

By BILLY ADAMS

The Germans called them the "ladies from hell" and on the battlefields of the First World War dreaded coming face to face with the most feared of enemies. Though those soldiers wore skirts, they earned a reputation for being the fiercest of fighters.

They were Scotland's kilted warriors and carried on a centuries-old tradition of striding onto the field of conflict in the heavy, flowing garments.

But try imagining Mel Gibson, as the ancient Scottish rebel William Wallace in the movie Braveheart, scaring the wits out of his English adversaries while dressed in a pink see-through kilt or a striking little denim number.

It doesn't work, does it?

Most of Scotland's traditional kilt-makers would agree, and that is why they are up in arms.

A young upstart has broken from the proud fraternity's cosy ranks and is producing the kind of kilts that would have the clan chieftains choking on their finest Highland malts.

Howie Nicholsby is a brash 22-year-old designer who believes kilts should be freed from the shackles of a Highland jig and let loose as the latest in-thing.

Not only are his kilts made of materials like PVC, pink plastic and Chinese silk, but he has refashioned a design that has remained virtually untouched for decades by adding zip-on pockets similar to those on combat trousers. The idea, he says, is for clubbers to have somewhere to put their mobile phones and bottled water.

"I wanted to divert away from the traditional style, so I sat down and came up with the new range," Nicholsby says. "The water pocket sticks out of the side of the kilt and is really designed for clubbers. The idea of the combat pocket has been taken from combat trousers. They fasten onto the side of the kilt and are big enough to carry wallets, paper and personal organisers."

Most galling for traditionalists is the fact that Nicholsby's kilts are not tartan.

For centuries a clan has been identified by its particular tartan. There are more than 1000 tartans and big companies such as American Express have patented their own. One Edinburgh kilt-maker designed a tartan for an Indian family who own a British hotel chain. It is called McKhan.

Nicholsby hopes to tap into a revival in wearing kilts. Linked to its military and clan heritage, the kilt was once the domain of middle-aged men. But in the 1990s, particularly after Braveheart, it has became the proud possession of many young Scotsmen.

The kilt has never been so popular. In Scotland most men get married wearing one. It is one of the most popular presents for 18th and 21st birthdays and a popular outfit for fans supporting Scotland's national teams at rugby and soccer matches.

Every summer hordes of tourists go to Scotland and many spend the equivalent of $1000 on a handmade kilt of the best tartan worsted. And kilt-makers are doing brisk business around the world on the internet.

Kilts have also become trendy. As well as Nicholsby's controversial outfits, which include a camouflage kilt, well-known designers have been getting in on the act.

Tartan is a favourite with punk fashion queen Vivienne Westwood, and French designer Jean Paul Gaultier has been wearing his own version of the kilt for years.

A couple of years ago Tommy Hilfiger launched a range of tartan and plain kilts and proclaimed them to be the next big thing for fashion-conscious men. Other designers followed suit as male models strutted down catwalks in the latest designs.

In an effort to persuade men that they could slip into a skirt and retain their street cred, they went for the macho look of kilts worn with chunky boots and grungy shirts or big sweaters.

But traditionalists are upset by the wave of modern designs. "Real" kilts will take an experienced craftsman up to two days to make by hand and sew together, so they're not too keen on fashion knock-offs.

"I've yet to come across anyone who even likes them, never mind wears them," Edinburgh kilt-maker Jean Macpherson says of Nicholsby's latest creations. "The kilt should be associated with Scotland and people should wear it because it is Scottish.

"It is a traditional garment. To make it out of other materials like leather, and fit accessories for mobile phones and waterbottles, is making a comedy out of it. I am dead against it."

Surprisingly, Nicholsby works at a traditional kilt-making firm owned by his father, Geoffrey. He criticises modern products from designers like Hilfiger, objecting to the fact that they are mass-produced and made from cheaper materials.

His 21st Century Kilts are handmade and cost between $650 and $4000.

"I see the kilt becoming much bigger in the future," Nicholsby says.