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Toga Heritage Diversifies
SARATOGA SPRINGS — TOGA HERITAGE, a popular lifestyle brand and purveyor of fine goods located at 398 Broadway in Saratoga Springs is introducing a new kind of heritage to the Spa City.
Saratoga Springs native and owner of TOGA HERITAGE, Deborah DePasquale, is bringing a collection of products to her store to celebrate her Scottish heritage. The line will be launched on National Tartan Day. Tartan is a series of patterns consisting of crossed vertical and horizontal lines in different colors; it is also known as plaid in the United States; however, the print originated in Scotland. Depasquale’s maternal side of her family is Scottish.
“National Tartan Day was established in 1998 in the United States to recognize Scottish- American heritage and it’s widely celebrated in other parts of the country,” said DePasquale. “Introducing this nationally recognized day and Scottish culture helps diversify the Capital Region. Events this year are only stepping stones for a larger celebration in the works.”
Tartan historically represents different Scottish clans, but DePasquale’s tartan design is representative of her Scottish heritage while honoring the spirit of her hometown of Saratoga Springs by using colors reminiscent of the Spa City. Almost all the items sold in TOGA HERITAGE will now also be sold with the tartan print.
In line with National Tartan Day, TOGA HERITAGE has several new product lines featuring DePasquale’s tartan design, including a new jewelry line designed in collaboration with Skidmore grad, Samantha Levine of Auburn Jewelry. DePasquale will introduce future collaborative projects including Fritelli and Lockwood of the Beekman Street Arts District and plans to dedicate a section within her shop to local weavers.
From concept to completion the entire process of developing this collection took two years. DePasquale had to register her tartan, in the Scottish Register of Tartans; in doing so, she had to assure her pattern was different to every tartan in the registry.
“We didn’t want to select just any tartan, which we could have done, we could have used others in the database,” DePasquale said.
“But that’s not what we do... Here at TOGA HERITAGE, we really do come from a foundation of loving where you live, honoring where you come from, celebrate where you are and look forward to where you’re going so for me that tartan had to be part of the story. To continue to tell the story, which the story of my company is me... All of my products are inspired by my experiences here growing up, so that tartan could not be any different: it had to be impactful.”
As part of National Tartan Day, flags with DePasquale’s own Scottish registered tartan design will be hung along Broadway from April 2 through April 16. New York State Assemblywoman Carrie Woerner will present DePasquale with a proclamation recognizing April 6 as Tartan Day in the state of New York. City of Saratoga Springs Mayor Meg Kelly’s office had previously presented a proclamation to DePasquale recognizing April 6 as Tartan Day in the City. The week will conclude with a public open house at TOGA HERITAGE from Noon to 4 p.m. on National Tartan Day, April 6.
