Edinburgh, Scotland ? A revolution is afoot at one of Scotland’s most venerable kilt-makers: Among traditional tartans there are hip versions in denim, camouflage, leather and, for the adventurous, see-through pink plastic.

Howie Nicholsby has dressed celebrities like Madonna and British pop sensation Robbie Williams, as well as local hipsters who wear his creations to Edinburgh’s trendiest bars and nightclubs.

Amid the bustle of his basement workshop on Edinburgh’s medieval Royal Mile, Nicholsby pauses to explain his philosophy.

“I’m not so much a designer as a radical evolutionist,” he said. “I’ve taken the kilt back to its origins, to its roots and made it an everyday piece of clothing.”

Only one man stands in the 28-year-old’s path to world domination in the line of hip kilts. That would be his father Geoffrey, who heads the family business, Geoffrey (Tailor).

Nicholsby explains his father’s reaction to his first fashion kilt and doublet jacket, in silver snakeskin pattern PVC, which he hand-stitched 10 years ago.

“He hated it and my mum, Morna, was not impressed either,” recalls the designer. “Both of them thought, ‘There is nothing in this.’ They saw no sales in it. I was just 18 years old and made it for a family wedding.”

“Well, I’m still doing it today,” he said. “I sometimes wish I’d kept it separate from the family business. I want to roll this out with shops in New York, Tokyo, Sydney and other hip cities, but I get vetoed by my dad.”

Howie Nicholsby of 21st Century Kilts displays some of his modern kilt designs in Edinburgh, Scotland. The nontraditional patterns sell for 50 to ,500 and have helped revive the kilt as a fashion option.

That first kilt now hangs in Nicholsby’s office. In the shop there are row upon row of extravagantly designed kilts and jackets, from blue camouflage and orange silk to more conservative outfits in pinstripe and gray tweed.

Off-the-rack prices start at $450 for a denim kilt, with the custom range going up to $2,500 for a black leather number complete with a thunderbolt kilt pin – as worn by film star Vin Diesel at the MTV Europe music awards in 2003.

Nicholsby – who calls his side of the family business 21st Century Kilts – is leading by example.

“It’s taken quite an effort to make the kilt cool again,” he said. “I’ve not worn trousers on a regular basis for more than seven years. I wear a kilt every day, from a casual black woolen one to pinstripe for more formal events.”

In a land that is fiercely protective of tradition, tampering with the kilt can ruffle feathers.

“Some traditionalists find it hard to accept what I’m doing here,” Nicholsby admits. “If I meet someone dressed head to toe in tartan kilt and tweeds, then I do often get comments.”

Followers of Nicholsby’s fashions are to be found in bars such as the Opal Lounge – once a regular haunt of Prince William.

“I can walk into this bar in a suit and no one would notice,” said TV anchor Phil MacHugh, wearing one of Nicholsby’s camouflage kilts. “When I come in dressed in my kilt, especially the camouflage one, people are all over me.”