The Story Behind V&A Dundee’s Scotland World Cup Football Scarf

To mark Scotland’s journey to the 2026 World Cup, V&A Dundee launched a special football scarf, co-designed with young creatives from Rockwell Learning Centre and Dundee-based designer Aoife Cawley, an alumna of Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design.

Designer holding colourful Scotland supporter scarf with modern design

More than supporter merchandise, the scarf tells a story of pride, identity, collaboration and creativity. Designed over an eight-week co-design programme with V&A Dundee’s Learning Team, it brings together the voices of Jayden, Lochlan, Rachael and Sid – four young people exploring what Scottish pride can look and feel like today.

At a glance:

Product: V&A Dundee World Cup Football Scarf
Created for: Scotland’s journey to the 2026 World Cup
Co-designed by: Young creatives from Rockwell Learning Centre and designer Aoife Cawley
Led by: V&A Dundee Learning Team, including Gary Jamieson, Schools Development Officer, and Rachael Simpson, Young People’s Producer
Available from: V&A Dundee Shop online and in the museum shop

Shop the V&A Dundee World Cup Scarf >

A scarf for Scotland’s World Cup moment

Scotland’s qualification for the 2026 World Cup sparked an idea within V&A Dundee’s Learning Team. Gary Jamieson, Schools Development Officer and lifelong football fan, began exploring how this historic moment could become the starting point for a creative learning project.

Working alongside Rachael Simpson, Young People’s Producer, the idea developed into a co-design programme that would bring young people, football culture and contemporary design together.

“I’m not necessarily into the game itself, but I care deeply about what surrounds it. The togetherness. The way a crowd singing in unison can bring me to tears. The fashion and design that push football into new territories, shaping subcultures and expressions of class identity. The sense of belonging it offers.”

— Rachael Simpson, Young People’s Producer at V&A Dundee

That made the football scarf a powerful starting point for a project to create something meaningful for Scotland’s World Cup journey.

Co-designed with young creatives from Rockwell Learning Centre

Over eight weeks, Jayden, Lochlan, Rachael and Sid from Rockwell Learning Centre worked with V&A Dundee and designer Aoife Cawley to create a scarf for Scotland’s 2026 World Cup journey.

The project began with research and exploration, including a visit to Hampden Park, Scotland’s national stadium and football museum. There, the group explored the visual language of football fandom: colour, energy, banners, badges, songs and shared pride.

Back at V&A Dundee, the museum’s collections opened up new ways of thinking about pattern, symbolism and storytelling. The group explored how a scarf could speak to Scotland’s football history while also reflecting the ideas and voices of a new generation.

Working with designer Aoife Cawley

Printmaker and textile designer Aoife Cawley guided the young people through the process of turning ideas into a finished design.

Together, the group experimented with drawing, print, pattern and composition. They learned how designers test ideas, refine details and make decisions that affect how a finished product looks, feels and communicates.

Each young creative brought something different to the scarf: Rachael’s bold graphics, Sid’s sharp eye for detail, Lochlan’s thoughtful symbolic ideas and Jayden’s imaginative pattern work. Combined, these elements shaped a design full of energy, character and meaning.

From idea to finished scarf

The project also introduced the young people to the wider world of product development and retail. Alongside the creative workshops, the group explored how products are promoted, how audiences connect with stories and how design choices can create emotion and excitement.

The finished scarf carries that whole process within it. It represents teamwork, creativity and the belief that young people can contribute to Scotland’s story in a visible and meaningful way.

As Scotland heads to the 2026 World Cup, this co-designed scarf stands as a celebration of identity, collaboration and possibility – a piece of design shaped by young people imagining what Scotland can look like now.

Shop the V&A Dundee World Cup Football Scarf and wear Scotland's story with pride.

Making Memories: A Personal Reflection from Rachael Simpson, Young People’s Producer at V&A Dundee

When Scotland qualified for the 2026 World Cup on 18 November 2025, I was in the pub with my dad — a lifelong Scotland football fan who has played the game all his life.

He is 77 now, and I remember how emotional he was that night. I think, deep down, he believed he might never witness Scotland reach this stage again in his lifetime.

The last time Scotland qualified for the World Cup was in 1998. I was eight years old and he was 51. Before the tournament, he painted Scotland flags on the faces of my sisters and me. It is a simple memory, but one that has stayed with me — full of pride, hope and connection.

Nearly three decades later, I found myself working on a scarf shaped by a new generation of young people, each bringing their own ideas about Scotland, identity and pride. My dad spent his career working with and supporting young people. Now, in a different way, so do I.

That is what makes this project feel so special to me. This scarf is about more than football. It is about pride passed between generations, memories carried forward, and young people being trusted with the tools to express who they are and what they want to say.

As I write this, I am on the train, on my way to give the finished scarf to my dad. He was not in the design workshops, and he does not know every conversation, sketch or decision that went into it. But I know he will understand what it means straight away.

Back in 1998, he painted a Scotland flag on my face before the World Cup. Now, nearly three decades later, I get to hand him something created by young people imagining what Scotland can look like today.

That feels special.

And if Scotland makes it through the group stages, I imagine there may be tears again. Regardless, we will wear the scarf with pride.

Group wearing Scotland World Cup scarves designed by V&A Dundee

The final scarf is more than a piece of supporter merchandise. It represents teamwork, creativity and the beautiful belief that young designers can contribute to Scotland's story on the world stage. As the nation heads to the 2026 World Cup, this co-designed scarf stands as a vibrant symbol of identity, collaboration and the power of learning through design.