Scotland out in front in world of fashion

Did

you know that Harris Tweed is the only fabric to be protected by an act of parliament?

I mention this because, sadly, I had to miss the Scottish Fashion Awards held in London last week.

Surprisingly, I wasn't nominated.

Run by the force of nature that is Tessa Hartmann, they are a celebration of all the best of Scottish fashion.

At an event graced by Pixie Lott, Alesha Dixon and Judy Murray, the winners included Christopher Kane, Charles Jeffrey, Pringle of Scotland, Burberry, Holly Fulton and Kestin Hare. The evening was a showcase of one of our country's big international success stories, where Scotland punches way above its weight.

It’s not just Macintosh raincoats and tartan kilts which mark us out as world leaders.

Every day, we export £1mil- lion of textiles around the globe. Sales worth £225million go to the rest of the UK annually. Nearly 9,000 people owe their living to the industry.

So move over Paris, Milan, Tokyo and New York.

The Scots are here. And we're in Vogue.