We were pleased to welcome British Fashion Designer and Great British Sewing Bee judge, Patrick Grant who gave a guest lecture on The Future of Fashion: Where do we go from here?
Patrick’s career in fashion has spanned over a decade. In 2005, after leaving a career in Engineering, he took over as Director at Savile Row tailor Norton & Sons. He won much praise for his work there including being named Retailer of the Year at the 2008 Scottish Fashion Awards. In December 2010 he won the Menswear Designer of the Year award at the British Fashion Awards and in May 2015 he was awarded the BFC/ GQ Designer Menswear Fund both for his work on menswear brand E. Tautz which he re-launched in 2009.
In 2015 Patrick purchased the ailing Blackburn clothing manufacturer Cookson & Clegg, saving the factory from closure. This was followed in 2016 with the launch of social enterprise Community Clothing in response to the extreme challenges facing the British clothing and textile manufacturing industry earning him support and praise from across the political spectrum.
Patrick is a regular on television and radio as a commentator on the British fashion, clothing and textile industries. He has been a contributor to several major television documentaries including Savile Row, Harris Tweed, and The Perfect Suit, but is best known for his role in the BBC2 Series The Great British Sewing Bee, for which he was nominated for the 2017 National Television Awards. He has written on diverse subjects for many titles including GQ, The Financial Times and The Times. His book ‘Original Man’ was published by Gestalten in 2014. He is a regular lecturer at schools and colleges across the UK.
Staff and students found the talk to be inspiring, as they felt personally connected to Patrick's fashion sustainability beliefs and community ethos, and we thank Patrick for providing such and informative lecture to our students looking for a career in the fashion industry.
