Not a brand. A call to be heard.
DATTs was born out of both love and frustration. Working within the tailoring and Highlandwear industries in Scotland, sometimes it seemed that Highlandwear specialists often offered made-to-measure without tailoring passion, while some tailors clung to outdated notions of “tradition” that felt stale and disengaged.
DATTs set out to be part of a movement to offer an alternative to that. Rooted in heritage but never bound by it, DATTs combines precision tailoring with creative innovation, bringing fresh energy and inclusivity to an industry that too often plays it safe. With DATTs our tartan tailoring is not the tartan of shortbread tins… it is the tartan of struggle, identity, and the unapologetic right to self-expression.
DATTs aims to bring energy, inclusivity, and innovation into Scottish tailoring.
What’s in the name?
The name DATTs – Devil Among the Tailors – has sharp historical roots in Scottish history.
In 1746, after the Jacobite rebellion, the Dress Act 1746 made it illegal for men and boys in Scotland to wear Highland dress or tartan. The law effectively banned the kilt for almost 40 years. This, along with the first major wave of Highland Clearances, changed the Scottish Highlands, its culture, and its Clan system forever.
In 1822, King George IV visited Scotland – the first monarch to do so in over 170 years. The visit to Edinburgh was orchestrated by the Scottish author Sir Walter Scott as a major opportunity to rebrand Scottish identity as well as demonstrating loyalty to the king visiting from England. This was done in part through a spectacle of Highland dress – this was the first time specific tartans were ascribed to specific clans. Hundreds of Highlanders and Lowlanders donned tartan to impress the king who himself wore a (notably short) kilt for the visit.
Scott, watching the scene, is said to have “laughed in his sleeve when he saw the Fourth George and Alderman Curtis arranged in kilts, [exclaiming] ‘If there should ever be another rising, the national Scottish air cannot be Hey Tuttie Tattie, but The Devil Among the Tailors.’”
DATTs claims that phrase as a statement of intent – a disruptive force in tailoring, honouring heritage while challenging its constraints. Watching the king parade in a kilt, Sir Walter Scott joked that if Scotland ever rose again, its anthem should be The Devil Among the Tailors.
DATTs claims that spirit: disruptive, daring, and unapologetic.
What makes us different?
While DATTs offers classic pieces like tartan trews for eveningwear, it is just as committed to playful invention. Our house designs carry an element of wit or creative twist, whether that’s a gauntlet hem at the bottom of trousers, a vintage pair of Hollywood-style pants reimagined in tartan, or asymmetrical punk-inspired tailoring collaborations.
Clothes cover about 95% of our bodies – if you are your own person, why should you spend good money to look like everyone else in clothing that has no meaning? DATTs isn’t about blending in, it isn’t about wearing a uniform for someone else’s wedding photos. It’s about standing out, with garments that reflect your personality, individuality and confidence.
DATTs: garments that honour craft, but we are willing to experiment. Think semi-bespoke cuts, fabrics from Scotland’s finest mills, and details you won’t find anywhere else.
Our philosophy
Technique should never enslave; it should empower. That’s why DATTs hand-cuts patterns, embraces new tech, and treats every client as more than an order number. Our hand-made approach goes beyond the limitations of some MTM suppliers. Flexibility is built into the process, allowing us to play with styles and features not commonly seen elsewhere.
The DATTs story is not just a company biography, it’s an invitation.
DATTs want to be a home for those who don’t fit into rarified tailoring traditions or mass-market conformity. A place where individuality is celebrated, creativity is encouraged, and heritage is respected without becoming a cage.
For anyone who has ever felt unwelcome or uncertain about visitng a tailor’s studio, DATTs wants to say, “you belong here. You’ve found your tribe”.