Stories

Here are the stories behind our launch products.......

PAPAC 08: Designed to mark the tenth anniversary of Rangers’ run to the UEFA Cup final in Manchester, this luxury lambswool hat reflects the colours of the away kit Walter Smith’s spirited side wore during their remarkable 2007/08 campaign. After parachuting out of a tough Champions League group in third place following famous results against Lyon and Barcelona, Rangers continued to defy the odds by eliminating Panathinaikos, Werder Bremen, Sporting Lisbon and Fiorentina to reach their first European final in 36 years. They eventually lost 2-0 to Zenit St Petersburg, but Kevin Thomson told Ten Caats Edinburgh: “It still gives me goosebumps thinking about it - it was unbelievable. We had belief in abundance and a never-say-die attitude and it stemmed from the manager. We were a counter-attack team who were well organised and hard to beat. People think we just stole games, but we had to have the quality to stay in those games.” Coming to the end of a marathon season, Rangers - with ten men - dug in to defeat Fiorentina on penalties in Florence after the semi-final finished 0-0 over two legs. An iconic image of that famous run is Bosnian defender Sasa Papac celebrating in front of the jubilant Rangers fans in Stadio Artemio Franchi, arms aloft with the number five on his back. Papac gave Ten Caats Edinburgh his blessing to use his name on a hat - made in Scotland - which commemorates one of Rangers’ finest achievements of the modern era. “Sasa was a steady Eddie,” said Thomson. “He was a lovely guy who bought into the culture of the club and became part of the furniture. Rangers fans love Sasa Papac - and rightly so because he was a great servant to to the club.” 

THE GILLHAUS: Produced in the run-up to the 30th anniversary of his European Cup triumph with PSV Eindhoven, this lambswool scarf commemorates Hans Gillhaus’s exhilarating three-and-a-half years with Aberdeen. Just 18 months after starting in Europe’s showpiece fixture as PSV defeated Benfica on penalties in Stuttgart in 1988, the Dons, managed by Alex Smith, paid a then club record fee of £650,000 to sign him. It proved money well spent as Gillhaus scored 32 goals over three seasons and helped them win the Scottish Cup in 1990, netting twice on the run to the final before converting a penalty in the famous shootout victory over Celtic at Hampden. His form in Scotland was enough to earn him involvement with the Dutch national team at Italia 90, where he played in three of Oranje’s four matches. Michael Grant, a journalist with The Times and boyhood Aberdeen supporter, told Ten Caats Edinburgh: “We must have turned and locked eyes with strangers, staring in utter disbelief. We just must have. I don’t remember doing it but what other reaction could there have been? We followed Aberdeen to Dunfermline one grey November afternoon in 1989, stood on the East End Park terraces and were mesmerised. The “new Dutch boy”, this Hans Gillhaus fella, exploded into our lives with two goals in the first 16 minutes of his debut. The first was a Hollywood overhead kick. Just like that the Dons had a new king. He was a Rolls-Royce striker. Unforgettable.” Our luxury scarf - designed and made in Scotland - is inspired by the iconic red-checked kit worn by the Dons in Gillhaus’s first season at Pittodrie and named with the blessing of the legendary Dutchman himself. 

THE SALVATORI: Designed to acknowledge the 20th anniversary of Heart of Midlothian’s Scottish Cup triumph in 1998 and also to remember a much-loved hero of that history-making side. Previously without a major trophy for 36 years, Hearts were becoming renowned for hard-luck stories. That all changed on 16 May 1998 when Jim Jefferies’ swashbuckling side, having just finished third in the Premier Division, capped one of the most memorable campaigns in their history by beating an illustrious Rangers team 2-1 in the Scottish Cup final at a sun-kissed Celtic Park. Defender Paul Ritchie - a homegrown member of that Hearts team - told Ten Caats Edinburgh: “That day will live with me as one of the greatest of my life. To see grown men cry and to experience that trip back from Parkhead to Tynecastle on the Saturday night will never ever leave me. You can’t put into words how good it was. That day was the pinnacle of most - if not all - of that squad’s career.” The marking of the 20th anniversary of that day was given extra poignancy by the sad passing in 2017 of Stefano Salvatori - a midfielder who captured the hearts of all at Tynecastle with his classy midfield performances after arriving in 1996 from Italy, where he had represented the likes of AC Milan, Fiorentina and Parma. “I feel fortunate and grateful to have been given the chance to play with Stefano Salvatori,” said Ritchie. “He was part of one of the greatest days in the club’s history, he’s part of the Hearts fabric.” The Salvatori lambswool accessories - made in Scotland - are named with the blessing of Stefano’s wife and reflect the classic white shirts and maroon shorts Hearts wore on one of their greatest days. 

BORDEAUX 98: A lambswool hat which marks 20 years since Scotland last played at a major tournament, Bordeaux 98 is based on the yellow away shirt with blue and red trim which the national team wore in their second World Cup group match against Norway. The nation was alive with optimism going into that game in Bordeaux following a gallant 2-1 defeat to Brazil in the opener in Paris. After Craig Burley secured a point against Norway with a sublime lob, the Scots went into the final game against Morocco sensing the knockout stages, only to crash 3-0 as the Norwegians pulled off a shock win over Brazil. It was a familiar story of early elimination for Scotland, but given that the national team have subsequently endured a 20-year absence from major tournaments, France 98 is now viewed in a wistful light. Burley, whose goal in that yellow shirt remains the last scored by a Scot at a major tournament, told Ten Caats Edinburgh: “In terms of what we achieved, it was a case of not a lot, as per usual, but in terms of how it went, playing well against Brazil in the opening game and then scoring against Norway, I’ve got fond memories of France 98 overall. It obviously ended with me getting sent off against Morocco but I don’t reflect on that negatively. We were disappointed not to become the first Scotland team to get out of the group stage at a major tournament because we felt we had a chance. But I’m just thankful that I was part of an era when we had a team good enough to qualify for Euro 96 and then France 98. I’m glad I got the chance to be there and feel the nerves and the tension.”