Would it not be a disgrace if Scotland, home of tweed and cashmere, fabrics spun and woven, Fair Isle woollens and the ubiquitous tartan, could not properly support a costume museum ("Museum chiefs face bias claim", The Herald, November 21 & Letters, November 21 and 22)?

We have an internationally renowned School of Textiles & Design on two campuses and several major art colleges whose end of term fashion shows explode with creative energy and professional skills.

The flowering of Edinburgh College of Art's fashion department since the formality of Miss Agnes Kindberg's days in the 1950s and 1960s has been a revelation and highly talented groups of young designers deserve their instant recognition here in Scotland and further afield.

From the art schools of Dundee and Glasgow, printed and woven textiles excel and excite; embroidery, collage and three-dimensional work using 21st-century technology lead the way and promise commercial success. Think of Patrick Kane following "in the stitches" of Aberdeen's Jean Muir and Bill Gibb.

Meanwhile all over Scotland craftsmen and women in their workshops and studios daily produce scarves, jackets and hats which, being original, give extra pleasure to the wearer.

Our national facility in this genre speaks for itself and deserves a national museum.

Melanie Brickley,

1 Claremont Avenue.

Kirkintilloch.