Why Do People Wear Kilts for Cosplay and in Fandom?

If you've spent any time at Comic-Con, Dragon Con, a Renaissance Faire, or a sci-fi convention, you've probably noticed kilts are everywhere.

Some people wear a traditional tartan kilt. Others choose a utility kilt. And increasingly, fans are creating or wearing tartans inspired by their favorite fictional worlds, characters, and franchises. We're looking at a fascinating intersection of Scottish tradition, modern design, and pop culture. 

How and why have kilts become a part of con culture?

And how do tartans play into it?

Here are a few observations based on our personal and professional experiences. (Yes we have a number of geeks working here at USA Kilts, including yours truly) 

Let’s talk tartans first.

Over the years we've seen tartans created specifically for many properties and franchises:

• Outlander

• Disney's Brave

• Scrooge McDuck

• Shrek

• Harry Potter house colors

• Hello Kitty

• Comic book superheroes

• Various fantasy and literary characters

That's just a few. Several of the tartans in it are in fact corporate products created for branding or to sell merchandise. These are pretty much always officially registered and copyrighted, so you are not likely to get to wear one. Sorry.

But many more pop-culture tartans are fan-created passion projects. A few get off the ground if there is demand for a weaving run. Most only exist online. 

Regardless of the origin or motive, they demonstrate just how adaptable tartan has become as a form of storytelling.

Tartan is a fantastic way to combine beauty with identity. Historically, it connected people to a family, home country, military regiment, community, etc. 

And of course today, modern tartans can commemorate everything from charities and universities to pipe bands, sports teams or businesses.

Other tartans have been designed solely for the art, often an homage to a thing of beauty or an inspiring place. Isle of Skye, one of the most popular tartans in the world, being an easy example. 

So really, creating a tartan for a fictional world or to celebrate a beloved character isn't a strange concept. It's a fun way to add another layer of personal identity. And in the context of a convention, it is all about mutual delight in recognition, easily clocking someone as a fellow fan. 

One of our absolute favorites is the R'lyeh (Cthulhu) Tartan, designed by Scott Huber in 2011. Inspired by H.P. Lovecraft's mythical sunken city where great Cthulhu sleeps, it's a perfect example of how traditional tartan design can celebrate something entirely fictional and modern.

Fans of Lovecraft's work embraced it immediately. After all, it was created by someone with a firm grasp of the "feel" of Cosmic Horror aesthetics and vibes. It is a thoughtfully designed sett that reflects the colors and atmosphere of the source material. And beyond all that, it is in fact a beautiful, if odd, tartan. 

That just proves that good design always matters. Make an ugly tartan for your fandom and it may never see the light of day. We of course encourage you to try! Check our our free Tartan Designer.

Tartan or no, kilts have become a familiar sight at conventions across the country.

Why? 

Rebellious Individuality. Alt fashion. Sex appeal. Practicality. And most of all FUN.

We tend to see more utility kilts than traditional kilts when we’re out. All the reasons above apply, with maybe a few more points spent on the ‘Practicality’ stat. 

After all, wandering around a merch hall and rushing from one panel to the next (at the exact other end of the convention center, because of course it is) makes one really appreciate having lots of cargo capacity for merch, snacks, recording tech, etc. etc. And of course if you’re reading this you already know how comfortable a kilt is compared to “leg torture tubes.”

But for real, the most fun is incorporating a kilt into cosplay, either casually like on Friday night or Sunday, or as a twist on something more elaborate and competition-worthy.

“Bending” a character’s look in your cosplay is always fun. It almost feels expected these days. After all, where's the fun in doing a straight take on Spiderman if there are going to be two dozen others at the event? 

It’s more fun to find a way to elevate the recognizable character with a twist. Gender-bending, color scheme changes (how about a Marriott carpet Boba Fett?), mash-ups or “kilted-.”  Who doesn’t like standing out when you do those group photo sessions?

And there’s another factor many people are working with-  the sheer lightheartedness of it. 

Sometimes adding a kilt to your cosplay or uniform is about sexiness. Sometimes implied individualism. Sometimes simple silliness. And yes, sometimes it is a cute way of bending your Celtic heritage with your fun.

• Level One: Throwing on a mono-chrome utility kilt or traditional kilt (black goes with anything).
• Level Two: Adding a tartan kilt with colors that tone with the rest of the outfit (just like in real life).
• Level Three: Adopting a tartan as a uniform for your group (lots of discussions!).
• Level Four: Sewing your own kilt in something other than tartan (the Marriott carpet comes to mind again)
• Level OMG You’re Insane: Designing and having woven a custom run of a new and unique tartan JUST for your cosplay or fandom.

Perhaps the best-known example of kilted cosplay comes under Level Three: The Star Wars 501st Legion's Kilted Brigade, whose members combine screen-accurate armor with kilts for conventions and charity events. 

The cosplay is actually very strictly regulated for accuracy and quality, just as it is for the 501st at large. But the KB’s added dollop of Scottish flair has turned heads for years now. Of course the 501st KB is playing on the martial tradition associated with the kilt, too. And yes they have pipers. 

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, so in recent years we have seen plenty of other Star Wars cosplays “bent” with the addition of the kilt. Usually coming in at Level One or Two:

Kilted Darth Vader … Kilted Jedi and Sith … Kilted Mandalorians (my personal fave) … Even kilted droids.

There’s the Dark Side and the Light Side, but both surrender to the power of the Kilt Side.

Steampunk adventurers have had a ton o’ fun adding the kilt to their gear. This is one area where tartan kilts are certainly more popular. The  fun in Steampunk is playing with 19th century, mainly Victorian, aesthetics. Kilts came into their own as both a fashion element and a national symbol in this period. Most of our modern Highland Dress styles can be traced to the Edwardian period (the twelve-ish years just after the Victorian age). Naturally then, a traditional kilt and sporran are ripe for steampunk fashion, as indeed are many other kilt accessories.

 

If you are into kilts from a heritage perspective,but want to play around for a convention or other event you’re attending, crafting a Steampunk look is an easy way to get started. It’s also potentially the most elegant if you keep your outfit a bit low-key. 

My personal bias, as someone who was active in the scene for a long time (like before it had a name) is that a little goes a long way. I prefer less “meta” steampunk. That is, I do not feel the need to glue random gears and watch parts on everything. I prefer to think like a Victorian with a new toy as opposed to a denizen of some alternate universe where the fashion is to have a brass necktie that tells time. Not throwing shade, just my take on it. And again, good Highland Dress can look sharp in ANY context. 

And speaking of Victorian fandoms, you may wonder if there are tartans for some of the old greats like H.G. Wells’ fiction or Sherlock Holmes. The answer is yes in the latter case. We have yet to see it being worn by anyone but a model, but there is a registered Sherlock Holmes tartan. 

Do fandom tartans or kilted cosplay dishonor Highland Dress tradition?

That’s a matter of opinion of course. We don’t think so. Context matters a lot. 

Think of it this way. The famous Tartan Army will wear the kilt and often pile on loads of other Scottish “things” to show their fandom, like really go over the top with it.
But not outside of a football match context. 

A kilt wearer can use his kilt for everyday wear, keeping it casual with a tshirt, or dressing up for a night on the town, but he is not going to put on his Mandalorian armor to go to the grocery store. 

Kilts are popular outside of Scottish identity because they always look great and are also so fun. This does not happen with other forms of national dress. The kilt is one of the most flexible garments for men in the world and has adapted to current fashion for over two hundred years now.

• Do not use your best kilt. Keep it safe at home. Cons and fairs can be messy!
  
  
• Make sure everything fits. You want to look put together and intentional. If all the parts are not playing well together, you may want to reconsider. For instance:

• Your kilt is hanging funny from having too much gear strapped on (belts, weapons, props, extra pouches)
• Parts of your costume are not fitting right because of the kilt (like if it is thick wool)
• Your kilt is drooping because it is being pushed down by your armor

             …you get the idea. 

• Do not use Celtic heritage identity as a joke, even if well-intentioned. Usually when we say this we are talking about see-you-Jimmy hats, fake beards, Spirit Halloween kilts or putting on a cheezy accent. Those still apply! But for cosplay/Con gear, it’s just better not to feed into stereotypes in general.
  
  For instance, cosplaying as a ‘Brave’ character could go either way. Dressing as Merida or King Fergus … sure. Going around in a sloppy great kilt yelling “feast your eyes!” not so much. And not that I have seen it done, but I feel Fat Bastard is right out.
  
  
• Choose a Universal tartan. Not a hard rule, but consider using a universal tartan instead of a clan tartan (unless it is your clan). We all know clan tartans can be worn by anyone, but some folks have no sense of humor. And anyway, if you are color-matching a character’s costume or trying to create something sci-fi/fantasy, a fashion tartan will feel more original anyway. Like,  people will be less likely to think you just threw on any old kilt.