好色先生TV

鈥業 thought it was a wind-up, at first,鈥� says pipe-fitter Peter Sherti. But no. Robert Karlsson, project manager at services firm 8Build, was serious when he offered a full English breakfast to anyone prepared to wear a high-viz kilt on site.

Sherti has gamely agreed to test out this surprising take on personal protective gear, which was recently launched by Swedish manufacturer Bl氓kl盲der. The idea emerged from Gothenburg鈥檚 School of Industry Design, where student Marcus Jahnke won a competition launched by Bl氓kl盲der to combine tradition with everyday workwear.

鈥淭o be honest, I probably would have done it anyway,鈥� Sherti reveals. 鈥淥n holiday in Palma we dressed up in women鈥檚 clothes 鈥� although I was very drunk at the time.鈥�

Indeed, Sherti is taking to the idea with disturbing enthusiasm. 鈥淎m I putting it on right?鈥� he asks eagerly as he fiddles with the kilt. The garment wraps around the hips like an apron and has a number of button holes for a snug fit.

Before he can test out the kilt, he needs to get clearance from health and safety to have bare legs on site. 鈥淭his might be an issue,鈥� says Karlsson, as we wait tensely for an answer. There鈥檚 relief all round when Sherti鈥檚 legs are given the green light 鈥� as long as he doesn鈥檛 work with any machines, that is. This, perhaps, casts some uncertainty on the future of the construction kilt in the UK, but we carry on with our experiment regardless.

As soon as Sherti arrives at the site, we hear laughs and whistles. 鈥淗ello, lady,鈥� one builder yells, while others shake their heads. 鈥淵ou can鈥檛 take him seriously in that get-up,鈥� says another.

Everyone is bringing out mobile phones to capture the moment. 鈥淵ou look absolutely shocking,鈥� someone says, but Peter is undaunted. He poses happily and even pirouettes, causing the kilt to flair out alarmingly. It is not clear whether he has opted for the full-on Scottish approach to kilt-wearing. He does offer this clue though: 鈥淚t鈥檚 a bit drafty but it feels alright.鈥�

My dad is Scottish, but even he would never let me wear anything like that. You could get caught in a machine
8Build employee

So taken is he with the garment that he reckons he鈥檇 even buy one 鈥� albeit 鈥渙nly if everyone else does鈥� 鈥� but at 拢53.85, the high-viz kilt doesn鈥檛 come cheap. Sherti鈥檚 standard working jeans wouldn鈥檛 usually cost more than a tenner.

At this point Karlsson decides to slip into the second kilt 好色先生TV has brought along. In a sober black 350g cotton weave, this one is slightly less in-your-face than Sherti鈥檚 luminous yellow design.

I ask if being from Sweden means he feels any more at home in the Bl氓kl盲der kilt. He tells me that the large front pockets, hammer loops and screwdriver pockets are in fact typically Swedish. 鈥淎ll work clothes in Sweden have these pockets, 鈥� he says. 鈥淭hey are standard.鈥� Kilts are not.

But this may be about to change. Oddly, these kilts seem to have gone down very well in their country of origin; the manufacturer says 5,000 have already been sold in Sweden.

So, could it catch on in the UK? Perhaps, if everyone was as enthusiastic about them as Sherti. Unfortunately, his colleagues don鈥檛 seem too impressed. 鈥淢y dad is Scottish, but even he would never let me wear anything like that,鈥� says one. 鈥淵ou could get caught in a machine 鈥� it鈥檚 definitely not my cup of tea!鈥�

But then there鈥檚 a glimmer of hope 鈥� a group has gathered to compliment Karlsson鈥檚 black kilt. 鈥淚鈥檇 wear that one on a night out. I like the jolly factor of it,鈥� says one admirer.