Since 1887
Over 135 years of heritage & expertise.
Where it all began
Founded by Daniel McCall, an international auctioneer and his wife Annie, a market trader with a stall in Aberdeen’s Castlegate, McCalls Limited first opened its doors in 1887 on Upper Kirkgate, Aberdeen.
The business began with a focus on second-hand goods, particularly clothing. As fashions changed and imported garments became more common on the high street, the demand for second-hand clothing declined. Rather than fade away, McCalls adapted and evolved. The business turned its focus toward Highlandwear, where it found its true identity, recognising a growing desire to preserve and celebrate Scotland’s traditions through kilts, tartans, and formal dress.
Today, McCalls Highlandwear continues to uphold the values set by its founders more than a century ago, whilst building a reputation for quality, authenticity, and a bespoke, first-class service, which helps people celebrate their heritage, mark life’s milestones, and wear Scotland’s story with pride.
How it continued
In 1985, McCalls moved to larger premises on Bridge Street in Aberdeen, occupying five floors, dedicated to various departments — Highlandwear, Formal Hire, Scottish Giftware, and Antique Jewellery.
Our Highlandwear and Hire departments now offer one of the widest selections of Highland dress in Scotland, ranging from traditional Jacobites and Prince Charlies, to more contemporary styles such as Velvet Frock Coats and tartan trews.
We also provide a full made-to-measure tailoring service for kilts, jackets, and trews, with access to more than 2,000 tartans. Alongside this, McCalls stocks one of the largest collections of sporrans, sgian dubhs, and accessories available nationwide.
Over the past 20 years, McCalls has grown to become a leading retailer and kiltmaker in Scotland, with our success is built on a simple philosophy: good value for money and top-quality service.
With stores in Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Elgin, Dundee, Broughty Ferry, Glasgow, and Tillicoultry, as well as a wholesale network supplying over 250 partners worldwide, McCalls is proud to serve customers across Scotland and beyond, for events of every size and occasion.
McCall's Kiltmaking Heritage
At the foot of the Ochil Hills in Tillicoultry, Stirlingshire, stands a two-storey stone building with a story woven deep into Scotland’s textile past. Built in 1846 as the home of Mr Archibald of Archibald Mills, it later became part of the Tillicoultry Woollen Mill — and, in time, a fundamental part of McCalls’ kiltmaking tradition.
In 1994, McCalls acquired Daiglen of Scotland, a workshop already celebrated as a centre of excellence in traditional kiltmaking. Since then, it has grown to become the largest hand-made kilt workshop in the world.
Every kilt is made to measure using traditional methods, involving thousands of precise hand-sewn stitches and up to ten hours of detailed work. Our kiltmakers bring generations of expertise to each stage of the process, ensuring every garment meets the highest standards of authenticity and craftsmanship.
From this workshop in Stirlingshire, McCalls of Daiglen serves customers across the globe. To wear a McCalls kilt is to carry with you a piece of Scotland’s story — a tradition preserved, a craft perfected, and a heritage stitched into every seam.
The Story of Pride of Scotland
With more than 4,000 tartans in existence, choosing the right one can feel overwhelming. For centuries, tartans were tied to clans, families, and regions, their patterns woven with affiliation and identity. But what about those who wanted to celebrate Scotland’s heritage without a clan connection of their own?
That question inspired McCalls to create the Pride of Scotland range — a collection of tartans open to everyone. Free from the restrictions of lineage, these designs invite anyone to take part in Scotland’s most iconic tradition.
The collection includes sixteen original tartans, each created to reflect the beauty and character of Scotland and surrounding home nations, but accessible to all. Whether worn at a wedding, a celebration, or simply as a personal expression of identity, Pride of Scotland makes Highland dress an inclusive tradition.
At its heart, Pride of Scotland is about belonging. It is tartan for everyone — woven with the same pride and spirit that defines Scotland itself but bringing everyone together.
