A Tartan like no other … for a City like no other

Newport, Rhode Island is unique. 

Known worldwide for the unparalleled beauty of its seaside location and the richness of its history from Colonial times to The Gilded Age to the America’s Cup decades to the Jazz Festival to the present day, Newport is like no other. Today, nearly four hundred years after Newport’s founding, a new exclusive design celebrates what makes  “The City By The Sea” so special.  

Created by Newport resident Kelley Coen in 2020, The Newport Tartan is much more than plaid. Beyond the ancient tradition of patterns signifying clans and families, modern tartans have been adopted by municipalities to celebrate community and culture.  The Newport Tartan™’s colors were carefully chosen to represent the city’s rich and iconic heritage, below are some interpretations: 

BLUE represents the Ocean and Narragansett Bay, Sailing, Colonial Newport, and The United States Navy; 

GREEN represents Irish heritage, historic preservation, and Newport Arboretum; 

YELLOW represents the Gilded Age and optimism;

WHITE represents religious freedom, history, goodness, and purity; 

RED represents Rogers High School and love;

BLACK represents Thompson Middle School and African American history. 

Interlocking color combinations within The Newport Tartan™ signify city, state, and national institutions embedded in Newport’s culture:

Red, White, and Black represent Newport Public Schools; 

Blue and White represents the flag of Salve Regina University;

White, Blue, and Yellow White represent the Rhode Island State Flag; 

Blue, White, and Yellow represent the flag of the U.S. Navy;

Red, White, and Blue represent the American flag.

The Newport Tartan™ is one-of-a-kind and a protected design, exclusive to the City of Newport, Rhode Island, United States of America:

Endorsed as the city’s official tartan by the Newport City Council resolution on August 12, 2020. 

Copyrighted and registered with the official Scottish Register of Tartans on September 1, 2020.