Episode 2

If the 1960s were sharp, the 1970s were soft, and the 1980s were everything in between, where did that leave us in the 1990s? Glasgow was experiencing a renaissance as the 1990 European City of Culture, but Scotland was no stranger to European exchanges. Between the two world wars, immigration to Scotland increased, including an Italian influx. Sharleen Spiteri reveals how it feels to be an Italian-Scot, and fashion designer Samantha McCoach - of Le Kilt - shares the secret of her success: her Italian grandmother, who taught her everything she knows about sewing.

At the V&A Dundee, curator Kirsty Hassard selects Alexander McQueen as her key Scottish designer of the 1990s, showcasing one of McQueen’s designs that was inspired by Italian architecture. Lynne Coleman, Mark Holgate from Vogue and Sharleen Spiteri lament the lost genius of the late designer, and how his creations took fashion to another level.

The 1990s also saw the rise of the supermodel Kirsty Hume, and Scottish designer Christopher Kane tells Kirsty what the supermodel movement meant to the fashion world. Eunice Olumide - a new breed of Scottish supermodel - recalls how fashion was never on the radar when she was growing up in Edinburgh, but after she was repeatedly scouted by modelling agencies, her life changed forever.

Kirsty Hassard selects Holly Fulton as her key Scottish designer of the 2000s. Fulton regularly created designs using crystals and perspex, and was crowned Young Scottish Designer of the Year in 2009. The 2000s was also the decade that saw the launch of the Christopher Kane brand, and, alongside sister Tammy, the Kanes took the fashion world by storm. From humble roots in Newarthill, they were mingling with the stars and turning the heads of Anna Wintour, and Gianni and Donatella Versace.

The 2010s kick off at the V&A Dundee, where Kirsty Hassard selects Charles Jeffrey as her key Scottish designer of the decade. In Shetland, we meet Donna Smith, curator of Shetland Wool Week, crofter, knitting pattern designer and yarn producer. Donna has her own brand of wool - from her flock of sheep - which she colours using natural dyes. We discover how in Scotland’s sometimes inclement climate, knitwear was a way of life long before it ever became fashionable.

In 2012, Linlithgow Palace was transformed into a medieval court when then creative director for Chanel, Karl Lagerfeld, staged one of the biggest and most dramatic fashion shows that Scotland had ever seen. Kirsty Wark and fashion writer Justine Picardie were both in the audience, and they reminisce about the drama of an open-air fashion show on a snowy December night.

The 2010s saw the launch of Instagram, which created a new platform for fashion and industry influencers. Sheri Scott is a tangerine dream of an influencer, and through her brand Forever Yours, Betty, she creates colourful content for her subscribers.

In 2020, fashion went viral because of Covid. If we weren’t buying online before, we certainly were afterwards. But one online purchase from Jade Robertson’s boutique store, Little Lies, made headlines when it turned out that Taylor Swift had been photographed wearing one of her designs.

At the V&A Dundee, Kirsty Hassard selects recent Glasgow School of Art graduate Flora McFarlane as her one-to-watch designer of the 2020s... so far. And Emmy Award-winning presenter and actor Alan Cumming talks to Kirsty Wark about his love of tartan and The Traitors US.

And, after almost 70 years, the House of Dior returned to Scotland to exhibit their latest collection, Cruise 2025, at Drummond Castle in Perthshire. Le Kilt’s Samantha McCoach tells Kirsty what it was like to design part of the collection and witness the event with her Italian grandmother.

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