Our Story

Made Scotland was created by Alexandra Borthwick as a one-stop store showcasing quality, well-designed brands from across Scotland.

The website was inspired by Alexandra’s years of living away, when she struggled to find interesting, Scottish-made things to give to friends and family. Endless trawling online would turn up the usual mass-produced tartan fare, but she was after something more original. Something that had a story, that was produced with sustainability in mind, that was made with purpose. It was only on moving back to Scotland in 2017 that she found there was a thriving scene of makers, producing high quality things, from unique homeware to high-end knitwear, from artisanal food produce to beautiful art.

But this stuff wasn’t easy to come by. Most were chance discoveries, spotted at a remote Highland store, a country fair, a city market. Or clever gifts, a tip from someone in-the-know, an unusual find in the house of a friend.

So why was nobody gathering them together, putting them all in one shop window and spreading the word? Why wasn’t there a website where you could find beautiful things, all made in Scotland, learn about the makers and get great tips on places to go and things to see? No idea, but you know what they say. If you want a job done right, do it yourself.

And she did. It helped that the website combines three of Alexandra’s favourite things: exploring Scotland, finding beautiful, sustainably-made things and talking to people about their lives. As a writer who’d worked in women’s magazines for years, it was a natural fit. So Made Scotland was born, bringing you hard-to-find treasures, inspiring makers and a good dose of escapism.