Ayrshire represented on the Tartan Week catwalk at Dressed To Kilt in New York

Ayrshire's own kiltmaker Graeme Bone and singer Jai McDowall will feature at the renowned Dressed To Kilt event in New York next week.

An Ayrshire kiltmaker is set to see his work on the New York catwalk as his designs are showcased as part of Tartan Week in New York City.

Graeme Bone, 39, from Auchinleck, has designed and produced five outfits to be showcased by models at the week-long event’s signature Dressed To Kilt fashion show.

Ayrshire is set for a double representation at the event with former Britain's Got Talent winner Jai McDowall, 38, sporting one of Graeme's outfits on his catwalk debut.

Dressed To Kilt organiser Dr Geoffrey Scott Carroll contacted Graeme to commission a collection of looks for the show at the Church of the Heavenly Rest on Saturday, April 5.

Tarbolton native Jai will be walking with the American Scottish Foundation in the famous Tartan Week parade before making his catwalk debut in a bespoke kilt designed by Graeme.

However, Graeme explained that a misguided filter from his email provider almost saw him miss out on the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Speaking to Ayrshire Live, Graeme said: "I got a phone call out of the blue and it was a New York number. I was like, I better answer this and he introduced himself as Dr Geoffrey Scott Carroll - the co-founder of Dressed To Kilt.

"Through all the stuff I have been doing at Dumfries House with The King's Foundation, he had seen my online presence. He phoned me to ask if I could go over to the Dressed To Kilt fashion event which is on World Tartan Day which is during Tartan Week in New York.

"I was like, 'oh my god man, are you actually for real?' I was absolutely blown away that he really, really wanted me.

"It is an astounding chance for me and hopefully it could be a pivotal point in my career. The feeling of pride is literally inexplicable and I’m looking forward to representing myself, my brand and The King’s Foundation at Tartan Week.

"He had actually been trying to get a hold of me for a month before but the emails had gone into my spam folder and I missed them.

"It is the biggest tartan-orientated event in the world and they are aiming for this to be the biggest one they have ever done.

"I'm flying over on April 4 and the event is on the evening of April 5 - during the day is the parade.

"It is hard to put into words, everything has been 100mph. I was up until the back of 11pm last night getting everything all nailed down.

"I just can't wait. It has been a lot of work since he phoned me - there has been smoke coming off my needles."

Despite the busy schedule, Graeme is making sure to get some sight seeing in when he visits the Big Apple on his first trip to America.

On the flip side, Jai was at Tartan Week last year but he is still looking forward to some firsts at this year's event.

He said: "I have been out at Tartan Week before, I went out last year for the first time. It was absolutely incredible - a whole sea of Scottish folk in kilts and Scottish music.

"It is lovely to be invited back this year to perform and be part of it.

"My friend had been asking me for years but I was never ever really free and last year it coincided, I was free, and it was a bit of a why not moment.

"It was so nice and it has opened up so many doors. This year, because I have been before, people have asked me to do things this year.

"The Dressed To Kilt event that I am wearing Graeme's kilt for is such a huge thing. It is in a lovely big church just off of Central Park and it is going to be incredible.

"I have never walked a catwalk in my life so that will be fun. I am also doing a couple of gigs for the American Scottish Foundation and then I am performing at Club Cummings - Alan Cummings' club.

"It going to be a mental week - a good week but a mental week."

Graeme is a former steel erector who, after working in the construction industry for 11 years, pivoted to a career in fashion - first through an HND at college before honing his design and production skills through courses at Dumfries House.

Jai rose to fame in 2011 when he won the fifth series of Britain's Got Talent and went onto perform at the Royal Variety Performance.

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