The Leith area of Edinburgh has moved on a lot since I grew up there in the ’90s. The rise of food and coffee culture has transformed its shopfronts, and a new tram connects it directly to the airport. But it still has that electric, unpredictable energy I remember from childhood.
Leith’s Custom House © Jess Ellis
My family and I split our time between here and London, but I love being back; the fresh air, the local characters, the slower pace. Even the water tastes better. I had an inner-city upbringing but the hilly crags of Arthur’s Seat were never far away. Those overlapping worlds have strongly inspired my brand Le Kilt’s modern lens on traditional Scottish crafts: a contemporary wardrobe made with fine natural materials. We have a flat on Brunton Gardens overlooking Montgomery Street Park, where I played as a kid. My nana went to church on the corner and it’s just by Easter Road, where Grandad watched Hibs [Hibernian Football Club] play. We’re close to town and a half-hour wander from our new space at the Shore, a historical street where Leith meets the sea. That takes you down Leith Walk, a half-mile walkway that threads together as many favourite spots as it does childhood memories.
