I wore a kilt to a climate protest (just for the hell of it) and it changed my life. A Scotsman stopped me in the street and said, “Aye, that’s what this movement needs, its own clan tartan!” He was none other than Loftus McLeod of Skye, a freedom fighter who founded the Liberation Kilt Company to fight the injustices of his day, earning him the 1781 Disturber of the Peace Award.

Inspired by his example, a group of us were arrested on Capitol Hill for protesting the hijacking of the Waxman-Markey climate and energy bill by fossil fuel interests. Sitting in a DC Jail, we realized that what our fractured movement needed was a unifying aesthetic that anyone could wear, whatever group they happened to belong to. A climate change tartan! 

Named in honor of Dr. Charles Keeling, the climate scientist, our Keeling tartan was worn at COP26 by the entire World Wildlife Fund delegation, including Eliud Kipchoge, the world champion marathon runner.

We have designed tartans for various other social movements, fighting human trafficking (Blueheart tartan), the persecution of writers (Havel tartan), nuclear proliferation (Yamaguchi tartan), deepening inequality (Liberty Square tartan), creeping despotism (Tahrir tartan), and other modern scourges.

Now in its 10th year, our Rebel Tartan Project empowers students from the UK, Japan, China, India, France and other nations to confront global issues in radically creative ways.  

We finally got around to building this store, offering bespoke kilts, scarves, and cloth by the yard, and an offbeat t-shirt collection featuring a kilted skeleton (a big hit with Oxford University students).

We offset shipping emissions by donating a portion of each sale to carbon removal pioneers like Grassroots Carbon, Running Tide, and Planetary. We donate a portion of our profits to partner charities, such as PEN International.

Now imagine a new retail experience combining weaving, tailoring, clothing, accessories, books, talks, screenings, music, food and art — bringing people together for a cathartic, if not catalytic experience. It's all on the drawing board... (Giles)