INSPIRED by Highland landscapes and the four seasons, the official tartan to be worn by Team Scotland for the opening ceremony of the 2014 Commonwealth Games has been revealed.
Created by textile designer and artist Jilli Blackwood, the eye-catching design will be incorporated into the parade uniforms worn by athletes and officials as they march into Celtic Park when the curtain is raised on the 11-day event in Glasgow on July 23.
Blackwood, a graduate of Glasgow School of Art, was commissioned in July to come up with a design that retains iconic Scottish elements while introducing a contemporary twist.
She has opted for a vibrant colour palette that brings together turquoise, fuchsia, caramel and navy blue to represent the four distinctive seasons of Scotland.
The first - spring - was inspired by Vatersay Bay in Barra. "It's a clear blue turquoise," said Ms Blackwood. "I remember the light on the water and the colour was incredible."
The designer then chose a strong fuchsia to represent summer, which "comes from that time around August when the heather bursts forth and there is a pink hue to the Scottish hills".
Autumn is depicted in the main background colour, which Ms Blackwood describes as tobacco or caramel and is drawn from "the burnt bracken when it has lost its green".
A thin stripe of navy blue is included to be "reflective of the winter months and darkness of the longer nights".
The tartan has been produced by House of Edgar at the Isle Mill in Keith, Aberdeenshire.
"It's just so different from what has gone before," said Ms Blackwood. "The colours are unique and breathe new life into tartan. Bright is the wrong word. It is a lovely, warm tartan."
Jon Doig, chief executive of Commonwealth Games Scotland and Team Scotland Chef de Mission, said: "It is fantastic to watch the design for such an iconic symbol of Scotland unfold here at the Isle Mill.
"The final parade uniform will ensure that, when the eyes of the world are upon us, Team Scotland makes a huge impression when they enter as hosts into Celtic Park on July 23."
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