Stand out from the crowd with our SS19 addition to the 1834 Collection. Spring is here & this season's colour crush is yellow. As the newcomer to our 1834 Collection, it’s a statement accessory that does all the talking.

A Symbol Of Youth Rebellion

The famous MacLeod of Lewis tartan featuring on our newest 1834 is woven by a mill with a 200 year heritage. Yet, the history of this fabric dates back centuries further.

In the 1200s, MacLeod was a Highland Clan with connections to the Isle of Skye. MacLeod means 'Son of Leod' (Leod being the son of 13th century Norse King, Olaf The Black).

Jean Paul Gautier, 'The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier : From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk' at the Barbican Art Gallery London in 2014.

Moving on a few centuries, the vibrant MacLeod tartan was reappropriated by the punk age as a symbol of youth rebellion.

Viv Albertine, guitarist in The Slits, wrote on Punk fashion in her book 'Clothes, Clothes, Clothes. Music, Music, Music. Boys, Boys, Boys.':

Acceptable colours are black, white, red, shocking pink, fluorescent yellow or green (almost impossible to find anything in London in these colours), tartan, anything bold… As for beige, you may as well be dead.

So, where did you go to find these "acceptable" yellows, tartans, etc if you were a Punk in 70s London? SEX, the boutique run by Vivienne Westwood & her then boyfriend Malcolm MaLaren (later manager of the Sex Pistols). From their little store on the Kings Road, Vivienne & Malcolm created the style of the protest movement & defined subculture fashion.

Flash forward a couple more decades & the forever stylish Cher Horowitz donned a version of MacLeod in cult classic Clueless. No longer a fabric on the cultural fringes, this cemented MacLeod in the mainstream where it continues to receive celebrity endorsement.

A true icon in the style stakes, MacLeod is never far from the catwalk. From Balenciaga to Victoria Secret in recent seasons, fashion houses turn to this acid yellow plaid time & again to make a statement.

At NIXEY we are honouring this history, woven into the very fibres of MacLeod, by adding it to our 1834 Heritage Collection. Click here & bring this enduring symbol of the past & present into your everyday.