From Scotland’s oldest-known piece of tartan to a tartan-clad Xbox controller – the first major exhibition in Scotland in 30 years to focus solely on the iconic textile and pattern has opened at V&A Dundee. 

Running until January 2024, the exhibition presents a radical new look at a globally recognised design and brings together many different voices from around the world. Set to be a major event in this year’s cultural calendar, Tartan at V&A Dundee marks the fifth anniversary of Scotland’s design museum. 

More than 300 objects illustrate tartan’s universal and enduring appeal with examples of fashion, architecture, graphic and product design, photography, furniture, glass and ceramics, film, performance and art.

Staffordshire Jacobite Teapot c. 1750

It highlights the ways tartan shapes identities, embraces tradition, expresses rebellion and conjures fantasy. From a checked cloth woven in multiple colours in the Highlands, tartan’s distinctive pattern can now be found upon every surface imaginable. No other textile pattern has been categorised to such a degree, with more than 11,000 known examples of tartan recorded worldwide proving its iconic grids continue to offer unlimited possibilities and inspiration.

The exhibition has, for the first time ever on display, the oldest-known piece of tartan found in Scotland. On loan from the Scottish Tartans Authority, recent scientific research revealed the tartan specimen found in a peat bog in Glen Affric can be dated to circa 1500-1600, making it the oldest known surviving specimen of true tartan in Scotland.

The oldest known surviving specimen of true tartan in Scotland

One of the newest exhibits is a handcrafted tartan-covered Xbox Wireless Controller from 2022. The Xbox tartan was created to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Xbox in Scotland in partnership with Gordon Nicolson Kiltmakers, and weavers Lochcarron of Scotland Est 1892. This design is an innovative example of weaving, using only single green, white and black threads to create a digital pixelated effect.

A tartan-covered Xbox Wireless Controller

Inspired by Jonathan Faiers’ book Tartan, the exhibition gathers objects from more than 100 international lenders, from the high fashion of Vivienne Westwood and Alexander McQueen to amateur footage from 1938 showing weaver Willie Meikle at work on his handloom at home in Kilbarchan, Renfrewshire. Meikle kept a sample of every tartan he wove on the 200-year-old handloom, which is still in use today in his cottage, now cared for by the National Trust for Scotland.

Tartan’s enduring appeal for makers and designers is reflected through work on display from present-day fashion designers including Charles Jeffrey, Grace Wales Bonner, Nicholas Daley, Louise Gray, Siobhan Mackenzie, Owen Snaith and Olubiyi Thomas.

The exhibition focuses on tartan’s importance in the global marketplace. Scotland and France’s diplomatic and cultural links through the 'Auld Alliance' extend back to the 13th century, fostering an intertwined textile heritage, with French fashion houses such as Dior and Chanel continuing to champion tartan.

Dress coat for the Ancient Caledonian Society (18th century)

Leonie Bell, V&A Dundee Director, says: “Tartan is a symbol of Scotland, representing tradition, rebellion, innovation, legend, power, and multiple identities, which is at home around the world.

“Tartan is an iconic, international textile, with humble Highland roots, it has been to the moon and back, is found on almost every imaginable designed surface from souvenirs, football strips and uniform, to racing helmets and interiors, it’s never out of fashion. The exhibition plays tribute to the range and versatility of tartan, and it rightly marks V&A Dundee’s fifth birthday.”

Janet Redler, Managing Director of Janet Redler Travel, said: “This major new exhibition tells the story of tartan from its earliest beginnings in Scotland, to its place as a globally recognised pattern. This exhibition is sure to fascinate everyone interested in textiles, fashion and design, as well as all those interested in Scottish history and heritage.”

If you or your group would like to visit V&A Dundee in 2023 to see Tartan on a tailor-made tour of Scotland, or perhaps on a dedicated textiles and crafts tour, please do contact our friendly team today.