Hi everyone,
We're very happy to
announce that the Aberdeenshire Tartan is now complete! You may remember
reading about the start of this project in one of our earlier blog posts here.
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Commissioned by the
Aberdeenshire Council for the Be Part of The Picture Project, the new
Aberdeenshire tartan was designed by Donna Wilson with the help of local
schoolchildren of the county. The children were asked to present the colours
they felt best represented their area of Aberdeenshire.
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With these
suggestions, Donna designed Aberdeenshire's new tartan featuring colours that
draw directly from Aberdeenshire's rich natural surroundings as well as
elements of their cultural heritage, and which is completely unique to its
namesake!
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The colours that are
featured in the tartan are:
Old Meldrum - A gold/copper inspired
by the stills at the Glengarioch Distillery,
and as one pupil point out- it's also the colour of whisky!
Stonehaven - A pinky red seen
in Aberdeenshire sunsets, and a colour often spotted at the infamous 'Aunt
Betty’s' sweetshop in Stonehaven.
Aboyne - A frosty lichen
green found in the Ladywood Forest.
Fraserburgh - A lilac/blue symbolising
the seas and skies around Fraserburgh.
Kintore - A forest green
from all the woodlands around Kintore.
Harvest - A barley colour
that reminded Donna of the farm where she grew up, and her favourite time of
year.
Peterhead - A minty green
from the seas and sea spray of Peterhead.
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Here's a great video about the project, put together by the brilliant creative team Oliver's Island, who accompanied Donna on her visits to the schools and the mill.
As a Scottish
designer who grew up in Aberdeen, Donna feels very honoured to have been asked
to design this very special tartan.
She adds: "Tartan
is such an important part of our tradition and heritage, and we should never
lose that. I hope to be able to make a difference to the manufacturers who will
be weaving it and create something that will be a lasting symbol of
Aberdeenshire.”
Donna is proud to be
involved in the Be Part of the Picture project as it a program about
celebrating the strengths of Aberdeenshire and showcasing the region as a place
of beauty. The programme uses cultural and economic development projects to
engage with local people and boost the sense of pride in Aberdeenshire’s
communities.
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Donna is pictured above with Aberdeenshire Provost Jill Webster in the Banffshire Journal.
We're proud to say that the tartan is woven in Scotland and is now available by the meter, as well as in two very special scarves hand-finished in Donna's London studio.
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