Superhero tartan range launched by Paisley kiltmakers

A 106-YEAR-OLD firm of kiltmakers have created a range of superhero tartan in a bid to get more youngsters wearing traditional dress.
Some of the most famous superheroes will be available including Batman, Spiderman and Wolverine. Picture: Houston KiltmakersSome of the most famous superheroes will be available including Batman, Spiderman and Wolverine. Picture: Houston Kiltmakers
Some of the most famous superheroes will be available including Batman, Spiderman and Wolverine. Picture: Houston Kiltmakers

Houston Kiltmakers in Paisley, Renfrewshire, has created seven tartans inspired by comic book superheroes.

The designs range from a purple and green tartan - in the colours of The Incredible Hulk - to the red and blue of Spiderman.

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But only the most diehard of comic fans will be able to afford them because the designs would need to be specially commissioned and woven at a cost of £1,000.

Batman and Robin have also had the tartan treatment - with Batman’s design a subtle mix of dark blues and greys with yellow detailing and Robin’s a bold mix of Ferrari red, banana yellow and green.

Superman’s clan tartan, meanwhile, is comprised of the navy blue that makes up his body suit - as well as the red of his cape and infamous underwear, which he wears outside his trousers.

Iron Man, meanwhile, has a tartan made of red and gold - the colours of the mechanical suit that give him his special power.

And Wolverine - the character played by Hugh Jackman in the recent X-Men movies - has been given a tartan of yellow, blue and purple to match his suit in the original vintage comic series.

The Hulk has been given a thickly woven tartan - to represent his superhero strength.

And Spiderman has been given a red and blue tartan complete with fine white detailing, to match the webs he spins from his hands after being bitten by a radioactive spider.

Stuart Davison, 25, the firm’s head of marketing, created the superhero tartans.

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He posted the arty tartans online and asked users to vote on their favourite.

More than a hundred tartan enthusiasts have voted in the poll so far - putting Batman firmly in the lead with 38 of the votes.

The Hulk’s tartan has come in second place - with 33 of the votes - but Robin seems to have been relegated to sidekick status, with only one vote thus far.

Speaking about the project, Mr Davison said: “I just did this to try and get to a younger generation and try to involve them with the tradition – it’s a bit of an older generation thing at the moment.”

He added: “I really like the Batman and the Hulk ones – just because of the colours really match up with the characters - and I think they’ve had the most response as well.”

But he warned that any die-hard comic fan would need to dig deep to have a kilt made in the patterns of the iconic superheroes.

He said: “They’d have to be specially woven - it’d be pretty expensive to do.

“Probably at least £1,000 to have a length of this fabric made at the mill.”

The firm is owned by Ken Macdonald and was established in 1909 by his great-grandfather.