Patrick Grant on why Sustainable Fashion is more important than ever

The much-loved host of The Great British Sewing Bee is a supporter of the Sustainable Fashion revolution and tells us why we should be getting on board. 

He’s everyone’s favourite Sewing Bee host, one of the most stylish men in Britain and an advocate for helping the planet through sustainable fashion choices. What’s not to love about Patrick Grant?

“The fashion system is literally killing the planet,” said Grant in a BBC feature earlier this year.  

“The fast fashion industry makes you think that you need a new thing every night when they release that new drop, and that’s just wrong.”

Instead, Grant advocates for a fashion world where designers and consumers put more emphasis on timeless pieces, inviting us to reconsider what the term ‘in fashion’ means.

Rather than buying into seasonal clothing fads, we should be encouraged to focus on items that prioritise stylish durability instead.

Patrick’s clothing line, Community Clothing, makes simple garments which he says are designed to be ‘seasonless’ and worn many times. He’s also an advocate of using British factories and materials during the design process, to cut out the unnecessary emissions produced by the transportation of clothing across the planet. 

For more information about Sustainable Fashion and the impact your clothing choices could have on the environment, check out our dedicated blog post on the subject here.

During a keynote talk at Pure London last summer, Grant also suggested that  a shift toward a DIY mindset among consumers could go a long way in bringing about a sustainable fashion revolution.

“Make your own, repair your own, wear stuff for longer,” he said.

“We’ve got to get back to loving wearing stuff for longer. It saddens me that people have been conditioned into thinking they need to buy new stuff all the time. We have to break that mindset.”

Looking at the facts, there seems to be hope for the sort of fashion world that Grant is helping to create. The sale of sewing machines have seen a 300% increase, and shows like The Great British Sewing Bee are encouraging more and more people to take up the craft.

“I definitely feel that there is a change in the wind," Patrick told Prima earlier this month.

"Lots of people are saying there isn’t a clothing brand out there who isn’t covering sustainability, so it does feel like it’s a good change.”

Are you ready to join the sustainable fashion revolution?

Last month, we picked our 3 favourite sewing video tutorials from YouTube, ranging from super easy projects for keeping the kids entertained to tougher challenges designed to test your sewing skills. You might just end up creating something that you’ll keep for life. 

Check out the tutorials here and share the finished products with us on social media - we’d love to see your creations!

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For a wide range of sewing patterns, fabrics and haberdashery supplies for your new or existing project, visit our online store.