Tartan Day is celebrated annually on the 6th April to mark the date on which the Declaration of Arbroath was signed in 1320 in North America. It originated in Canada in the mid-1980s and spread to other communities of the Scottish diaspora in the 1990s. It is also celebrated in Argentina, Australia, the United States and, of course, Scotland! We're celebrating this Tartan Day by offering you 20% off all of our Shuka pet styles!
Image credit: Lizzie (Dogvision)
Our Shuka collections are made from traditional African shuka blankets. Even if you have never heard of shuka, there is a good chance you have seen it in interiors magazines or worn something inspired by it's design. Often red with black stripes, shuka cloth is often known as the 'African blanket' and is worn by the Maasai people of East Africa. Similar in appearance to Scottish Tartan, it is not entirely clear why shuka cloth became the traditional cloth of the Maasai, but there are a few theories. Fabrics were often used as a kind of payment during the slave trade making them more available throughout East Africa. In fact, Shuka cloth is believed to have been originally brought in by Scottish missionaries during the colonial era.
We ethically source our shuka blankets from Africa before turning them into vibrant accessories for cats and dogs here in the UK. We hope you enjoyed learning more about Shuka fabric and it's rich history! You can shop our Shuka Red and Shuka Blue collections here.
*Don't forget to use code TARTAN20 to save 20% on all Shuka accessories for 1 week only!*