Less!

I'd seen this book mentioned online last year. Liz read it and thought I'd like it. She thought [as I did] it would be a Marie Kondo/ minimalism approach. "Reduce to a capsule wardrobe and all will be hunky-dory." We were both very wrong.

Grant's subtitle is "Stop buying so much rubbish: how having fewer, better things can make us happier."

This guy is so much more than the genial judge on the GBSewingBee.

Having messed around in his final year at school[spending his time and money on the latest fashions] he spent a gap year working in a factory, then studied engineering at Uni, worked for some prestigious companies - then bought a tailoring business in Savile Row and applied himself to making better clothes. Now he runs a 'proper' clothes manufacturing company based in Blackburn. This book sums up his whole approach to life, and using autobiographical anecdotes, historical facts, statistics and scientific data, he shows us why he believes we need to rethink our attitude to possessions. 

I absolutely loved this book, and was in total agreement about so much of what he says. It has already made an impact on me

There are four sections - Want, Quality, Work, and Less.

He begins with history, when life revolved round the land and agriculture. Farmers grew crops and tended livestock which provided food and clothing. People lived with few possessions, but generally ate healthy food, and appreciated the nature around them. 

Then came the industrial revolution - people flocked to the cities and worked in factories and mills, making more goods, faster and cheaper than before. The owners got rich but the workers were low paid, on poor diets, living in cramped insanitary conditions. Then came the age of consumerism, when the men [yes, mostly men] at the top still made their wealth on the backs of the poor workers - and promoted the idea of 'wanting more', dissatisfaction with having less, or having old stuff. Stuff was made just to be sold at a profit. It didn't matter if the goods were shoddy, the food was cheap and not nutritious - what mattered was that people wanted to buy it and it could therefore be sold at a profit.

Grant argues that for centuries, there were great craftsmen out there- shoemakers in Northampton, silk weavers in Macclesfield, laceworkers in Stratford and ribbon makers in Coventry, and their wares were worn by men and women all over the country. But in the last 100 years so many of these skills have been lost, and companies closed. 

Cheap imports are brought in from the Far East and 3rd world. Why buy a well made dress which will last you for years when you can get one from Shein for the price of "a coffee and cake"  It will satisfy your desire for 'up to the minute fashion' but it will fall apart quickly as the fad passes, its fabric lasting forever,  refusing to rot down. Patrick points out the many many reasons for 'buy once, buy well' - buy local [better for the planet, fewer airmiles, improves the local economy] buy fairtrade [the workers are properly paid, working in a safe environment] you can buy natural materials [less plastics] buy something to love, to repair, to make it last [not consign to landfill]  He does acknowledge there is a cost to this. Many people are caught in the Vimes Boots trap, lack of immediate resources mean they are forced to buy cheaply, over and over and over again. 

This man definitely practises what he preaches - going to Blackburn, a "post industrial town". to set up "Community Clothing" - making clothes that are "good for people and good for the planet". At the start of the pandemic, his factory made quality scrubs for the NHS - most hospitals have very efficient laundry facilities. Then the government decided to invest heavily in disposable garments, a high proportion of which went straight from China to landfill. Check out the CC website for a fuller picture of how his company works and the ethos behind it [eco, ZeroWaste, recycling etc]. Liz has a CC shirt. It's gorgeous, well made, and will last her for years.

Grant is not looking to become a multimillionaire, he wants to provide jobs, a sense of self-worth, and pride in achievement for people in what was a very depressed area of high unemployment.  In the 'work' section he talks about the benefits of creating something. whether to provide income, or just for pleasure. He actually references Men's Sheds as a brilliant example of a movement which gives purpose,companionship, and proven benefits to mental health.

There plenty of anecdotes about Sewing Bee - but above all he speaks of his gratitude - that the show has helped revive 'home sewing' in the UK [and saved haberdashery shops from closure] and for the fact it has enabled him personally to find a wider platform to speak public about these issues so close to his heart. [He is coming to Norwich in September, I have my ticket already!]  The book ends

"Having less but better would be a path to a healthier, more equal society, a source of hope for a better future for the many people of all ages living in what we call our post-industrial communities. Living with fewer , better things is an act of goodness and kindness to people and the planet, and it would make us all happier."

I definitely rate this one *****do read it if you can!