Discover how Happy Tartan® began—from a beach day idea to a colourful global brand celebrating creativity, tradition, and joyful tartan-inspired designs.
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Happy Tartan started quite naturally—like all the best creative things do.
While working on The Highland Dancer brand, I knew I wanted my own tartans. I needed total freedom to design them in a way that let me explore and express everything I had in mind. Tartans that could travel with me into different markets and reflect my creative journey.
One day, sitting on the beach on the Isle of Bute, I started thinking seriously about tartans. I didn’t just want to use existing ones—I wanted to make something of my own. So I went home that day, full of ideas, and sat down at my laptop determined to learn how.
No tartan builder program, no shortcuts—just Photoshop, patience, and a lot of experimenting. I worked everything out by eye: colour balance, stripe width, patterns. It took a lot of trial and error, lots of testing, but that’s the heart of any creative process. Eventually, something clicked—and that first design felt alive.
That design worked beautifully on clogs: big, bright, happy clogs—perfect for Highland dancers. It felt like the beginning of something real.
When it came time to name it, it had to honour where I live. Bute Sky Tartan was born, and soon after came the idea of creating new designs and tartans for other Scottish islands too. There are still so many to do—and I’m excited about every one.
More experiments followed. Rainbow colours. More products. The clogs took off, and then cosmetic bags, dresses, kids’ dresses—each one bold, happy, and filled with spirit.
It became clear that the brand needed a new name to match its growing future. Something simple. Something memorable. I love the word Happy, and of course, Tartan is what ties it all together. So Happy Tartan was born.
Some of the tartans I design are playful and modern, some lean more traditional. But all are made with joy. And every day, there are more ideas waiting to come alive.
Now, I’m working on growing the brand, marketing it, building a creative cartoon world around it—and loving every second.
The dream is for Happy Tartan to become a global brand. A household name. A way to take tradition into something new, something bright, something unforgettable.
It’s been amazing working with dancers, models, and content creators over the years. Seeing smiling faces in Happy Tartan designs is the best reward.
We’re now looking for new Happy Tartan Ambassadors and content creators to be part of the journey ahead.
From a sunny day on the beach, to learning design from scratch, to clogs, dresses, and now cartoons—the story of Happy Tartan is just getting started.
Exciting times ahead.
I can’t wait to see where it goes.
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🌟 Become Part of the Happy Tartan Journey!
We’re looking for Happy Tartan Ambassadors and creative content makers to join our colourful world.
If you love tartan, creativity, and sharing smiles, we’d love to hear from you!
(Or follow us on Instagram @HappyTartan for all the latest updates!)
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