BLUE, yellow, black and hugely symbolic — Barbados is celebrating the creation of its official tartan to mark its independence. The textile is six months in the making and features a broken trident, the national symbol of the country's split from the UK. It incorporates the national colours of Barbados, which shares its patron saint with Scotland. The island nation is now the first in the Caribbean to have its own official Scots plaid, with the Island of Barbados design entered into the Scotitsh Register of Tartans. It was created by Scottish company James Robertson Kiltmaker to "mark the joint celebration of Bajan Independence Day and St Andrews Day and as a recognition of the deep historic ties" between Scotland and Barbados.