The day I met Patrick Grant
September 30, 2016
It is a well known statement that you should never meet your idols. I guess the reason behind this is the fear of being bitterly disappointed or learning a new side to them that you had not anticipated. Well I had the luxury of going to a Talk by Patrick Grant (as in the Savile Row tailor who advises on the Great British Sewing Bee) at London Fashion Weekend last week I got in the front row (well I didn't want to miss anything did I?) very excited to see him. The only let down (if you can call it that) was that he was not suited and booted as normally seen, but wearing a casual crew neck shirt and trousers from his E Tautz label with boating shoes. Even this though epitomises that he is an ordinary (well sort of) man in an extraordinary fashion world. His talk revealed him to be a deliberately old fashioned man who wants us to cut out having thousands of Instagram followers, scorns technology on the website ("come in the shop and talk to a person and feel the fabric") and rejects making obscene amounts of money by letting accountants run a fashion label ("how much money does a person really need afterall?" he states) Having just saved a factory in Blackburn from ruin with his Community Clothing initiative he also wants us to return to British tailoring (which we used to be pioneers in) at a more affordable rate rather than importing everything. So all in all a man after my own heart.
I asked him the question everyone else was skirting around i.e,"Will there be another series of the Great British Sewing Bee and will you be involved with it?". "My producers are confident, but I can't really tell you for sure because I don't know myself " he told the crowd, especially in the light of the current furore with the "Bake-Off" sister show, but "I hope so, I am immensely proud of it" he said sincerely. Well he should be proud of it and also of the companies he is running and the way in which he is running them.
So my advice is take that chance to meet your idols/people you admire. You may get disappointed or you may end up feeling inspired.
Posted by Julie Porter.
