Issue link: http://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/801177
among the hills in the Trossachs, Scotland's lake district, including Loch Lomond. "Those were the happiest years of my life," he warmly recalls. My grandmother was a wonderful woman. When she turned 100 she was presented to Queen Elizabeth and gave her a tin of her famous homemade shortbread, a cherished family recipe I sometimes make. She lived in a lovely, large house across from the Forth River, near Lyme Craig, and I often went down to the river and landed a trout or salmon home for supper. I'd walk the hills, stalk stag, hunt pheasants—feel a part of Nature." Those early days fostered the BraeVal philosophy that clothing should be an extension of who you are, not what you wear. Once Gregor had perfected Tiera fabric, he chose an "American plaid" he felt symbolized his Scottish and American heritage. Inspired by the classic black-and-red "lumberjack" pattern, he was startled when his father commented, 'You know, that's really a Rob Roy MacGregor pattern. Your great- uncle, Big Jock McCluskey, brought bolts of our clan tartan to Montana, where he traded with the Indians for buffalo pelts. That's how it came to be called 'buffalo plaid.'" Big Jock McCluskey, a fine, strapping Highlander, immigrated to America after being caught poaching one time too many on the laird's land—with the laird's gun, no less. "It was as though I was channeling Big Jock," Gregor pondered when he realized his random choice of plaid was actually Big Jock's "buffalo plaid" clan tartan. And if you compare McCluskey to the portrait of his Uncle Big Jock, then you'll see that's not the only coincidence. "Everyone in my family who came to America returned to Scotland," Gregor explained, "except for my father, who was born in Ayr, on the west coast of Scotland." Even Big Jock eventually returned home. When World War I broke out, he joined the 1st Volunteer Montana Infantry and was injured in battle at Adenaard, Belgium. He married his nurse and returned to Scotland with his bride to live out his days. Gregor, who was born in Glen Ridge, New Jersey, has a son, Connor McCluskey, 23, a graduate of the University of Connecticut, who is a dairy nationalist for Cargill. These days, Gregor's constant companion is a red setter named Laddie, which he has personally trained for field trials and which has earned his American field championship. unique. For example, a BraeVal shirt sleeve placket is 1½ inches wide, not the standard half-inch. Merino wool bends 40,000 times before the fiber breaks, which is why Tiera fabric is so strong. Our reinforced construction means BraeVal clothing can last a lifetime. G regor McCluskey's passion stems from family roots planted deep in his Scottish heritage. He spent summers growing up at the Highland home of his adored grandmother, Agnes McCluskey, who died at 106 in Aberfoyle, "the gateway to the Highlands"—a small village nestled I use to define our customer—individuals who respect the ritual of hunting and fishing, and who value grace, quality, elegance, and comfort and genuinely understand the core values that being an outdoorsman entails. These are educated people. They take classes to advance their knowledge. They spend their valuable leisure time out-of-doors. Our clients are men and women who choose to embrace life by getting out there and experiencing it. "I started out with five shirt models," McCluskey says. "I knew the market was a tough sell, and that a retailer might not want all five, but would find at least one that was 70 • S P O R T I N G C L A S S I C S