By the early 18th Century, the King of England, George I, possessed an empire that stretched from Asia to Africa to the Americas. His military and political might were among the most powerful in the world. And yet in 1725, he found himself conceding to his top generals that the regular British army was simply incapable of controlling the wilds of the Scottish Highlands.

Made in collaboration with London Undercover. Auto-Compact umbrellas are made for those on the move. It is a small and light weight umbrella for convenient use in every day rain.

The handy button-opening mechanism allows you to open and close the umbrella with one hand.

The landscape of the Highlands was too rugged, the weather too punishing, and its people too independent and uncompromising for the regular British army to keep any semblance of control. After multiple large rebellions in 1715 and 1719, King George I instructed his generals to raise an independent unit of local Highland Scots, to keep the peace and maintain order amongst their own communities. The resulting unit, made up of four clans comprising six companies, became formally known as the Independent Highland Companies, and informally known as the Black Watch.

Their original uniform was made up of a 12-yard length of wool tartan, long enough to be used as full body protection from the harsh Highland weather. The specific green and navy color and pattern of the Black Watch’s tartan is believed to be drawn from that worn by the Campbell clan, whose members made up about half of the unit. As the Black Watch was folded into the regular British Army and then deployed to wars throughout the world, the tartan kilt remained a part of their uniform for over 200 years, until 1940, when they transitioned to wearing the kilt only for formal or ceremonial appearances.

The Zip Tote is made from 100% Nylon OG Pack Cloth with custom matte black anodized aluminum hardware, interior zippered key stash pocketed in poly blackwatch, and a removable shoulder strap.

Small batch, in-house manufacturing allows us to control every aspect of production to create durable, beautiful, and interesting product.

While the Black Watch still represents Scotland as a fighting force today, their legacy and influence extends far beyond the realm of the military or the British Isles. The unit’s historical endurance helped drive the general popularity of tartans, fueling the success of brands ranging from Burberry to Pendleton.

Not all tartans represent the Black Watch, but all tartans do have a connection with a truly ancient lineage from a wild and unconquerable place, and the Black Watch tartan represents the enduring protection of both the place and the lineage.

Made from 100% Lambswool in Selkirk Mill in Locharron, Scotland.

Measures 180cm x 25cm with a soft hand screen printed label.

Along with the Zip Tote, the Tartan Bottle Opener is made in collaboration with 1733.

The Tartan Bottle Opener features nylon webbing with poly blackwatch overlay and laser etched anodized aluminum hardware.

Each one of the products from our Blackwatch Collection is designed and manufactured in collaboration with brands that we admire. Our bag, belt and bottle opener produced in collaboration with 1733, a bag company that crafts small batch bags and accessories in the heart of Chicago IL. The 100% Lambswool scarf comes all the way from Locharron, Scotland. The namesake brand has been milling wool goods since 1892. London Undercover was established in 2008 and produces the finest umbrellas in the world. It’s design ethos is rooted in English culture and they continue to push environmental and manufacturing techniques in creating new iterations of the humble umbrella.