For Le Kilt founder Samantha McCoach, the partnership reflects a shared respect for skills passed from one generation to the next. Growing up in Edinburgh, she watched her grandmother Lena, a skilled kilt-maker who spent four decades at her craft, sew at the kitchen table each morning. Those early lessons in patience, order, and pride in workmanship laid the foundations for her own label, built on honouring tradition while reimagining it for modern life. In the same way that Johnstons of Elgin has handed down expertise through generations of makers, McCoach continues that lineage through design, preserving craft by keeping it alive.
McCoach founded Le Kilt in 2014 with the belief that heritage should be lived, not just preserved. Her designs take the language of traditional kilt-making, including pleats, buckles, and structured silhouettes, and translate it through a contemporary lens. In this collection, she reimagines her signature shapes in our archival Glen Urquhart check, woven in a fine blend of wool and cashmere, giving the cloth a new chapter while staying true to its original character.
When Samantha visited our Elgin mill, she spent time in the archive with our archivist Sarah, exploring decades of patterns and cloth. Surrounded by swatches, woven samples, and historic checks, she remarked that “everything you need is here.” Her observation spoke to a shared belief, that true innovation comes from within the craft itself. The experience revealed the continuity of design that runs through our history, and the endless possibilities that come from reinterpreting tradition. It is within this spirit of evolution that the collaboration with Le Kilt was born.
Both Le Kilt and Johnstons of Elgin share a commitment to responsible craftsmanship, local production, and materials of exceptional quality. Together, we celebrate Scotland’s enduring design culture, one that continues to evolve through the hands and stories of its makers. Designed and crafted in Scotland, created to be worn for generations.