Glasgow reveals Commonwealth Games 2026 tartan

Glasgow 2026 has launched its tartan for next year’s Commonwealth Games.

The traditional Scottish fabric comes from designer Siobhan Mackenzie, who has created outfits for actor Alan Cumming and singer Justin Bieber.

No stranger to Team Scotland, Ms Mackenzie started her career as a graduate tailoring technician for Glasgow 2014 and designed the Team Scotland parade outfits for Birmingham 2022.

Her vision for the Glasgow 2026 tartan features blue, pink and purple tones against a steel grey base inspired by the city’s shipbuilding heritage.

The tartan will be made in Scotland using local textiles and manufacturers.

Its first appearance will be on the clothing of the Glasgow 2026 mascot – whose identity will be revealed later this month.

Ms Mackenzie, who grew up on the Black Isle in the Highlands, will also design a bespoke tartan for Team Scotland athletes and officials.

She has her own brand inspired by her Highland heritage and she previously worked with Ferrari on a new tartan.

Fans will be able to buy official Glasgow 2026 tartan merchandise, and it will be added to the Scottish Register of Tartans.

The tartan has tradition and symbolism woven into it. The grey base has a thread count of 74 to represent the nations and territories competing at Glasgow 2026.

And the the dark blue section has been increased to a count of 26 in homage to the Games taking place from 23 July to 2 August, 2026.

Ms Mackenzie said: “I feel honoured to be designing a tartan for such a momentous occasion in my home country.

“I love weaving stories into tartan design and while many people might be expecting a blue or green base, I looked at Glasgow’s rich history and felt inspired by the shipbuilding stories.

“This led to a steel grey base with the Glasgow 2026 colours woven through in my signature style.

“It’s incredibly important to me that every thread of this project is made in Scotland and I’ll be working with local textiles and manufacturers to bring this design to life”

Four venues in Glasgow will host more than 3,000 athletes competing in 10 sports programmes over the 10 days.

More than 200 medals will be up for grabs, including in a record-breaking Para sport programme with 47 events across six sports.

Phil Batty, chief executive of Glasgow 2026, said: “Designing and creating tartan is a revered part of Scotland’s heritage and we’re honoured that Siobhan Mackenzie is weaving it into Glasgow 2026’s story.

“Siobhan is an expert in her field and has collaborated closely with us throughout the production process.

“This tartan is a sign of what’s to come next summer and will be part of the fabric of Glasgow 2026 across the city.”