Kestin Hare is a Scottish menswear designer and founder of Kestin, the Edinburgh-based label known for its contemporary take on Scottish style. After working in London and training under Nigel Cabourn, he returned to Scotland to launch the brand with his wife and business partner. Drawing on Scottish heritage, vintage clothing and traditional fabrication, Kestin creates modern menswear with a strong sense of place.
Could you tell our community a little about yourself and what you do?
I'm Kestin Hare, a trained menswear designer, born and raised in Scotland, with twenty five years in the industry. I cut my teeth at brands in London designing contemporary menswear, before returning home to Edinburgh to start my own business with my wife and partner, ten years ago. There's a Scotland you know, and there's a Scotland you don't know. That's what I'm interested in with Kestin. We design and produce contemporary menswear collections under the brand, which we sell through our flagship store in Stockbridge, through wholesale around the world, and through a strong ecommerce business. We draw inspiration from Scotland, and from vintage clothing research and fabrication, to produce a modern interpretation of Scottish menswear.
What are you working on at the moment, and what's exciting you right now?
Right now I'm working on Spring Summer 28, which will be delivered at the beginning of February 2028. We design and produce collections that we take to market in Paris and at New York Fashion Week, presenting to international buyers who order six months ahead of delivery. What's exciting me most at the moment is a number of collaborations I'm working on with like minded brands. We've done this before with Berghaus and Henri Lloyd. I have a real interest in British heritage brands, particularly in outerwear, which is where my training was, with Nigel Cabourn.
Kestin blends the fresh with the traditional. Is that a winning recipe for restaurants as well?
Yes. I think in any discipline, whether it's restaurants or design, you need to look back at what has traditionally happened, within food or design, to understand it, and only then can you create something new and interesting.
How do you personally define "style"?
Style is very personal. I first started to think about it growing up. It's interesting how, if you give everyone the same uniform, they'll still find their own way to interpret it. A few people have shaped how I think about style over the years, my grandfather especially, who had incredible style. To have style, there has to be a point of view. It's subjective, but it comes down to having a distinctive take on something, whether that's the way you wear clothes, the way you design them, or even the way you design a dish in a restaurant. Style can be good or bad, either way, it's just someone's personal opinion, or approach, made visible.
What is the essence of Scotland and Edinburgh for you?
The essence of Scotland, and of Edinburgh, is mystery. It's a place filled with rich history and a long heritage of producing quality, whether in food or in textiles. For me, that's shaped by the landscape, the weather, the elements. Scottish wool, British wool, is rough, it has character, and you see that in the history of tweed weaving here. There's a real, unique quality to what Scotland produces: it's slightly rough, but it has character, depth, and a meaningful narrative behind it.
If you designed a uniform for a contemporary Scottish restaurant, how would you approach it?
I'd start by looking at the restaurant and trying to work out what sets it apart from everywhere else, what I'd call the DNA of the brand. That's the starting point. Then I'd listen to the staff, to the people actually doing the job day to day, so the uniform is fit for purpose and lets them work comfortably. It needs to be practical, but it also needs a twist that makes it theirs.
We recently designed the uniforms for Johnnie Walker in Edinburgh, and are working on a project with Ottolenghi for their first Scottish restaurant opening in the Autumn.
What are three hometown restaurants you return to again and again, and why?
For me, one of the best restaurants in Edinburgh is Eleanore. What they do there is close to what we do at Kestin: take Scottish produce and present it in a modern, interesting way. The team behind it, The Little Chartroom group, are at the top of their game, and Edinburgh's food scene is becoming a real international draw: people come here to work and learn, then go on to open their own places, in Edinburgh or elsewhere.
For an out of town choice, the Champany Inn, near Linlithgow, does the best steaks in Edinburgh, or anywhere around it. I've been going there for over twenty five years. They've developed their own grills to cook the meat perfectly, which makes it completely unique. It's very welcoming, and it's very, very good.
And for a family day out, you can't beat Civerinos Pizza, great friends of ours, laid back Italian dining, and the best New York style pizza in the city.
Where would you take a friend visiting in your hometown, and why?
This is a hard one. Edinburgh has so many incredible places. I'd say the view from one of the high points, Calton Hill or Arthur's Seat, gives an outsider a real sense of just how incredible this city is, seen from above.
Have there been any new restaurants in your hometown that you've found inspiring, and why?
Dogstar in Leith is one of the best new restaurants in town. It's run by a friend of mine, Kyle, who's done incredible things with other restaurants and bars in the city. Their approach is inventive but simple, taking the freshest local Scottish produce and cooking it in straightforward ways. Scottish razor clams over hot coals, finished with a butter sauce, is about as good a take on Scottish seafood as you'll find.
If you had to choose three favourite food destinations, what would they be, and which places do you recommend to try in each, and why?
New York
I'm there at least twice a year to show our collection at New York Fashion Week, and I also own and run a showroom there, Welcome Edition. My go to for laid back dining and the best pizza in town is Emmett's. Head to their Grove Street location for the best tavern style pizza in New York. Madame Vo, for Vietnamese food on the Lower East Side, is another constant, and directly across the road from it is Veniero's, over a hundred years old, home to the best New York cheesecake around.
Paris
I'm there at least twice a year too, and I have a lot of good friends in the city. One restaurant I've been going to for around twenty five years, first introduced to me by Adrian Joffe of Comme des Garçons, is Robert et Louise in the Marais, for amazing steak frites cooked on an open fire right in front of you.
Sardinia
I've just come back from my first trip there, staying in the north east of the island. Some of the best fish restaurants double as fish markets, Pesceria, where you eat what's just come in. Very simple, beautifully cooked seafood: the best spaghetti alle vongole, or seafood fregola, you'll ever have.
What's the most memorable restaurant experience you've had, and what made it special?
For me, the best restaurant experiences are when you're right up close, sitting at the bar, watching people cook in front of you. Pierre Sang in Paris and Palomar in Soho are two of my favourites for that, you get the full experience of seeing and talking to the people cooking incredible food right in front of you, and their energy feeds into the whole meal.
Who would you like to see in our Member Highlight Series?
A friend of mine, Martin Rouillard-Castelnau, who works for Centre Commercial. He's well travelled, loves style and food and everything around it, he's always my first call for travel and food recommendations.
