Master Kiltmaker Nicola "Nikki" Laird has been named both Scotland Maker of the Year and the overall UK Maker of the Year 2024, receiving the awards at the prestigious Heritage Crafts Winners' Reception held at Eltham Palace on 26 November. This marks the first time that Traditional Kiltmaking has been recognised with such a prestigious national honour.
The Scotland Maker of the Year Award, supported by the William Grant Foundation, celebrates a heritage craftsperson who has made an exceptional contribution to their craft in Scotland. Nikki was recognised for her outstanding achievements in traditional kiltmaking, her exceptional skill, and the respect she has earned throughout the industry.
As Scotland's winner, Nikki went on to compete for the overall UK Maker of the Year Award, supported by the Marsh Charitable Trust, where she was chosen from the four national finalists. The other finalists included typefounder and printer Nick Gill (England), silversmith Cara Murphy (Northern Ireland) and maille maker Phil Parkes (Wales), making Nikki's achievement all the more remarkable.
A Lifetime Dedicated to Traditional Kiltmaking
Nikki has worked within the kilt industry for more than 30 years and has spent the last nine years passing on her knowledge to the next generation of kiltmakers. During that time she has taught well over 100 students from across the world.
Demand for her courses has grown steadily, leading her to train apprentice teacher Siobhan Schulberg, who now assists with classes at The Kiltmakery, based within ScotClans in Leith, Edinburgh.
Traditional kiltmaking is the highly skilled craft of hand-sewing a kilt using techniques that have been passed down through generations of apprentices for well over a century. For many years these skills were at serious risk of disappearing. In 2021, traditional kiltmaking was added to the Heritage Crafts Red List of Endangered Crafts, highlighting just how vulnerable the craft had become.
Although the number of professional kiltmakers is slowly increasing thanks to the work of Heritage Crafts and dedicated teachers like Nikki, the craft remains endangered. Many people learn kiltmaking as a hobby or personal interest, but relatively few are able to make a living from it. Ensuring traditional kiltmaking becomes a sustainable profession remains one of Nikki's greatest ambitions.
Preserving the Craft for Future Generations
Nikki is also completing what will become one of the most comprehensive books ever written on traditional kiltmaking. Supported by funding from Heritage Crafts and Creative Scotland, the book combines the history of kilts and tartan, the stories of kiltmakers through the centuries, and a detailed step-by-step workbook showing how to hand sew a traditional kilt using authentic methods. It is due to be published in 2025.
The Kiltmakery at ScotClans
In 2014 Nikki joined ScotClans as a Kiltmaker and Tutor. Around eight years ago, Amanda Moffet, one of the directors of ScotClans, trained as a traditional kiltmaker under Nikki's guidance.
Sharing a passion for protecting the future of the craft, Nikki and Amanda established The Kiltmakery to create something that had never truly existed within the industry: a welcoming, supportive community for traditional kiltmakers.
Historically, many kiltmakers worked alone from home, often on low pay and with little support. The Kiltmakery was founded to change that. With an open-door policy, professional kiltmakers are welcome to use the workspace, share knowledge, support one another and continue developing their skills. New kiltmakers are not only taught how to make a kilt but are given ongoing guidance and encouragement long after their training has finished.
By building a stronger community and promoting the true value of traditional craftsmanship, The Kiltmakery is helping ensure that hand-stitched kiltmaking remains a respected and viable profession for future generations.
More Than a Personal Achievement
While these awards celebrate Nikki's remarkable dedication and craftsmanship, they also represent something much bigger. For the first time, traditional kiltmaking has received national recognition as one of the United Kingdom's most important heritage crafts.
It is recognition not only of Nikki's skill, but of the importance of preserving the centuries-old knowledge behind every hand-stitched kilt. Her work as a maker, teacher, mentor and author is inspiring a new generation of kiltmakers and helping to secure the future of one of Scotland's most iconic traditions.
For everyone involved in traditional kiltmaking, these awards are more than a personal accolade—they are a milestone for the craft itself.