NEWS: Tiny Tat

Mark McLaughlin
Edinburgh Evening News
April 2, 2009

THEY have expanded their cut-price empire throughout the city but now the Gold Brothers are hoping to attract a whole new age group by branching out into "kinder kilts".

The Gold Brothers - owned by Surinder Singh and his sons Galab and Dildar - plan to launch a new range of "introductory" kilts for children as young as one-year-old.

Dildar Singh revealed that the idea came from their own Sikh heritage, where children are introduced to the turban at a young age to get them used to wearing the garment when they're older.

He said: "It's common sense really. If you introduce children to something when they're young they get used to the idea, then carry on wearing it throughout their life.

"We have a ceremony to introduce children to the turban when they're about five years old. By the time they reach their teens they're used to it and they will start wearing it all the time."

The news comes as it emerged that a legal battle over the use of a tartan has been settled out of court. Tartan owner Rosemary Samios had taken the action after finding her Isle of Skye design on sale in Gold Brothers shops without a licence.

The Singhs are now hoping to license her tartan for sale in their stores legally in time for the release of their new infant range.

Neither party would reveal how much the out-of-court settlement amounted to but Mrs Samios confirmed that mounting legal costs made a personal agreement "a better option". Dildar Singh said that the settlement was "reasonable".

21st Century Kilt designer Howie Nicholsby, who made his son's first made to measure kilt when he was just five weeks old, said: "Kilts for young children are very popular and have been a core part of our business for many years."