A really important book

On my reading list - or rather, my listening list.

You might also like Clothing Poverty - The Hidden World of Fast-Fashion and Second-Hand Clothes by Andrew Brooks

I have put this on my library request list. My DD works in retail as a buyer and was talking yesterday about a recent social media post from someone she knows, talking about how difficult it is now to buy well-made medium priced clothing.

I just wanted to emphasise that the book isn't just about fashion. Amongst other things Patrick talks about poor quality saucepans!

Does he have any answers? I volunteer for a very large local charity and the amount of poor quality clothing donated is almost unbelievable. People arrive with car loads full ( we are lucky to have good parking facilities) which suggests they change their wardrobe unnecessarily frequently and the clothes are generally in a relatively good condition which suggests they are buying more and more of this inferior stuff. What a waste!

He does have answers - too many for me to go into here - and they are quite radical. Personally he has started a clothing company which sells directly to the public, buys locally as much as possible and pays the employees well. He also wants to move to repairing clothes. He acknowledges the importance of education, partly so people can make informed choices but also so they recognise quality and understand why it costs more but will last much longer - which in the long run costs less. He mentions some army recruits who had never previously worn anything that wasn't made from plastic.

Thanks for this. I shall be very interested to read it.

I applaud all he is saying and I think the answer does lie in education but it will be very difficult to persuade people not to constantly be buying new cheaper clothes when “fashion” dictates a new wardrobe each year

Greenfish yes it will be difficult to change habits but the current situation is not sustainable . It is wrecking the planet, only a relatively few people are benefitting financially and more and more people are either out of work or in work that is unfulfilling.
We either do nothing and watch things get worse or we start doing whatever we can to effect change.

Most of us sensible oldies know all this and agree with the mend-and-make-do mantra, but getting the youngsters to take this on board will be difficult, or impossible. They are so used to fast fashion that the concept of buying fewer clothes and not wearing them the following year, well, I can't see how you can turn back the clock. We can teach our own families but that's about it.

I wholeheartedly agree eddiedog and this is why I say education is the answer. The only person we can change is ourself and thus set a good example. Most of us need to learn the lesson “to live more simply so that others can simply live.”

I'm on the wait list for this on the library Libby app.

The wastefulness in the clothing industry in particular is dreadful. But as we witnessed first hand on this season of Sewing Bee, the traditional home needlewoman is a dying breed. People are too used to our throwaway society and £5 Primark t shirts. (Or even £5 Tesco saucepans).

I applaud his efforts with his clothing line and its ethos. The clothing looks to be very well made if a bit conservative in design.

However, I couldn't justify paying just a few pounds less than £100 for an everyday skirt or blouse.

A middle ground between cheap as chips and out of reach prices would be great.

I’ve put this on my reading list👍

I really rate Patrick Grant. I think he’s a bit ‘misunderstood’ by people who only know him as a judge on Sewing Bee. As you say, OP, he’s got a lot more about him than that.

I saw him on Question Time a while ago, where he talked a lot of sense about social justice, equality of opportunity and education & skills. He came across as a very interesting, calm, insightful man!

Most of us need to learn the lesson “to live more simply so that others can simply live

What a good mantra Greenfinch👏

All this is very laudable and, personally, I buy clothes of quality to last and look after them; all cashmere is now sealed into plastic boxes until winter, for example. But young people only want NEW and Cheap clothes to constantly look good on Instagram. You can't blame them. We live in a very visual society that doesn't want to be seen in old clothes.
The genie is out of the bottle and all I can think is that we must invent a way of disposing of unwanted clothing in an effective way. Maybe be incinerated for heating energy?

I have sorted clothes I. A charity shop for 7 years. I said years ago that we are heading towards a serious problem with discarded clothes.
The price we get for rag is rock bottom. It won’t be long before it’s not worth the company’s buying it.
But what brought home to me how serious it is was a couple of weeks ago.
I’ve been taking free clothes and toys to a women’s refuge ( when we are overwhelmed with donations.
I was told that they can’t take anymore donations for a while because they are inundated with clothes and toys 🤦🏼‍♀️

Did anyone hear him on Desert Island Discs?
He did his homework and and had a lot of other people in the rag trade in with him to solve the problem of lack of PPE during covid.
The government threw out the idea.

www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m001rqjj

I totally agree petra. We are completely inundated with donations for which a home cannot be found.I don’t know what the answer is but it always makes me sad to see how much is discarded in countries such as ours contrasted with how much need there is in developing countries.

At least as you get older you aren't as bothered about "new" fashions. Nowadays I look for colours and fabrics I like. Most of my clothes are either charity shops or eBay, which means I can afford much better quality than I could if I was buying new. Some of my clothes have been around for years and I don't mind doing a few alterations if a start getting bored with them. It's the same with furniture. It's a long time since I bought anything new. My son bought us a very well made dining table and chairs and paid about £10 for them. They will last us for years. There is so much out there waiting to be used.

It seems these days people buy clothes, wear them on and off for a year,then out they go. Quality is a thing of the past. I used to send for clothes to the UK because they were so much better than ours here in Australia. Now they are just the same, usually made you know where. They look nice until you wash them! You can make your own but the quality of the material available makes it not worthwhile. Ah well,that’s ‘progress’.

I like his ethos, but not the clothes in his range.. nor do I think they are accessible prices really..(his description)