GLACE BAY, N.S. -- They are two quintessential pieces of Cape Breton culture -- but you’ve probably never seen them together.
That’s about to change with the launch of the ‘Kilts for Coal’ campaign in Glace Bay, N.S.
Renowned kilt maker Deanna Lloy created the new design, called ‘Absolute Darkness’, a tribute to life underground. It’s been registered with the Scottish Authority, making it an official tartan.
“One of the grey is looking at the rails that go down under the ground, and of course, the other is to represent the black seam, and with the blue skies above and the yellow sun, we incorporated those colours into it as well,” explains Lloy.
The first ten kilts that Lloy designed have already been sold. 100% of the proceeds are going to the Cape Breton Miners' Museum.
“It’s absolutely exquisite, so I love the kilt,” says Mary Pat Mombourquette, the Executive Director of the Cape Breton Miners' Museum. “I love the idea that it is so representative of the coal mining industry, and everybody that we’ve talked to, the guides here, the Men of the Deeps, they all love it.”
In fact, Cape Breton’s famed singing miners will be among the first to wear the new tartan.
“They’ll be on tour just before Christmas, and they’ll be wearing scarves made out of that tartan,” says Lloy.
When the kilts still have to be made, one of them has already been purchased for a lucrative amount.
“Kilt number one, we put a price tag of that of $5000, and we have sold that kilt,” says Lloy. “A local pediatrician has purchased that kilt.”
Officials at the Miners' Museum say the money will come in handy, particularly for the mine simulator scheduled to open for the 2020 season, which came in a bit over budget.
“We have seven-million dollars’ worth of dreams here, so this is going to help us. This is actually going to help with the build that we’re doing right now, so it’s going to help the simulator come to fruition,” says Mombourquette.
As for whether we’ll see any kilted guides giving tours underground one day, Mombourquette says there’s been some interest.
A coming together of two classic Cape Breton themes, for a good cause.