SCOTS SCRAMBLE TO RENT KILTS AS WEDDINGS SOAR

An unprecedented demand for kilts has led to warnings that there may be a shortage this summer.

Scotland's wedding industry is bracing itself for one of its busiest seasons yet, with hundreds planning to tie the knot after suffering two years of delays and cancellations during the pandemic.

The uptick is so great that manufacturers warned they may not have enough kilts available to meet demand.

Kilts 4 U, which rents Highland dress across Glasgow, South Lanarkshire and Ayrshire, said it was hiring out more than 400 kilts a week and was booked out every day until October.

While there was no shortage of kilts, the logistics of the firm having to wash and re-rack outfits meant those who had left hiring one until the last minute would likely miss out, Iain Carlton, the company's owner, said.

Carlton said the wedding sector usually fitted around ceremonies held on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, but that “most weeks from now right through until October there's weddings every day of the week.”

“We're about to enter a period where we're running over 400 hires a week ... that's 1,200 garments going in and out of the warehouse in a five-day period.”

Grooms and bridal parties are generally unaffected as they booked their outfits months ahead, but disorganized guests are at serious risk of missing out.

Gordon Nicolson Kiltmakers in Edinburgh also warned of an “exceptionally high demand” for its madeto-measure kilts, jackets, waistcoats and trews.