Scottish kilt maker Slanj celebrated the opening of its brand-new headquarters in Glasgow’s east end this weekend, thanks to £243,000 in funding from Royal Bank of Scotland.
The family firm, run by brothers Brian and Craig Halley, has been providing tartan to everyone from Nicola Sturgeon to Biffy Clyro for 25 years. From humble beginnings making tartan suits and wedding wear, the company became well known in 2004 for kitting out the Tartan Army, with custom Home and Away tartans created for the Scottish Football Association.
The new Duke Street premises joins Slanj’s smaller unit on Glasgow’s Bath Street and a store in Edinburgh. The site, which includes a shop, factory space, a dry-cleaning area and offers customer parking, has created four new jobs.
Slanj recently made headlines after their charity tartan face mask, developed to support Shelter Scotland, was endorsed by the First Minister. Extra team members were roped in to meet an unprecedented demand and the business experienced a 16-fold increase in annual online order figures, raising over £40,000 for the homeless charity.
Slanj has worked with a number of charities and organisations throughout the years, creating bespoke tartans for Beatson Cancer Charity and more. They also support the Kiltwalk – where they offer free kilt hire for Glasgow and Edinburgh participants. Slanj even developed and gifted a kilt and tartan ‘trews’ to Barack Obama during his 2017 Scottish visit, and for Eric Cantona who visited Glasgow to speak at a gala dinner for Street Soccer Scotland.
Brian Halley, founder of Slanj, said: “As a business, we’ve always rented our premises, but our goal has been to own our own space for a while now. The east end of Glasgow is perfect in so many ways, and we’re proud to have been welcomed into the community. Royal Bank of Scotland was instrumental in making this happen, and the whole process was easier than getting a mortgage for my house.
“It’s been an uncertain but exciting time for the business. We’re looking ahead to the future with our new store, and have been looking forward to opening the doors.”
Gary McCabe, relationship manager at Royal Bank of Scotland, said: “Slanj have been with us since the beginning, and it’s been a real pleasure to play a small part in its journey. Brian is a marketing mastermind, and the new headquarters are just the next chapter in their exciting story.”