Patrick Grant’s book ‘Less’ has the following sub-title: ‘Stop Buying So Much Rubbish: How Having Fewer, Better Things Can Make Us Happier’. The sub-title is prominently displayed on the cover so the reader is duly warned about what is contained within its 350 pages! While it covers the author’s early years, his love of fashion and his career working with a High Street retail brand, it also makes a clarion call for quality in the making of clothes. focuses on the steady loss of British clothing manufacture and finally, on Patrick Grant’s own response in the shape of his newly-founded company ‘Community Clothing’.
Fans of ‘The Great British Sewing Bee’ (where Patrick is a judge, alongside Esme Young) will not be disappointed, as a whole section of the book is devoted to the show, The themes of sewing skill, upcycling and excellent design chime perfectly with the message of the rest of the book.
The text bulges with statistics about the loss of manufacturing skills in textiles in various key areas of the British Isles and the way in which their loss has ‘hollowed out’ whole areas of our nation. Patrick’s arguments are compelling, all the more so because he has determined to reverse this process with the launch of his company ‘Community Clothing’ which designs and manufactures high-quality garments in Britain, notably without using what he called ‘plastic’, that is entirely synthetic fabric.
I found this book completely compelling. I simply couldn’t put it down. Claudia Winkleman (an early presenter on The Great British Sewing Bee) says: ‘Utterly brilliant. We all need to read this book.’ I agree. Buy it or borrow it if you can. It may change the way you think about your clothing. ‘Less’ was published in 2024 by William Collins.
For more information about Community Clothing, go to: https://communityclothing.co.uk/
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This fabric is called ‘China Mosaic’. You can find it here
Amanda Jane Textiles 