Patrick Grant & Community Clothing

[Shetlands]

Interesting interview here with Patrick. I've long been a fan of his approach to clothing, although my wardrobe is vast compared to his! I buy a lot of natural fibre clothes on Vinted but haven't invested in his Community Clothing products yet.
https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2025/may/19/the-retailer-who-wants-us-to-buy-less-patrick-grant-on-his-fight-against-fast-fashion

Thanks for the link. I have a few things from Community Clothing - the combat trousers are my favourite - and I've been thinking about making a (very modest) contribution to their shares crowdfunding. In short, I'm a fan.

That said - and I know this is very wrong - I wish they'd make their wideleg trousers a tiny bit wider, and I think he dismisses M&S at his peril; yes, he's right that their quality isn't a patch on his but they've definitely raised their fashion game recently and I'm pleased to see it, because you see, I appreciate good quality clothes but I enjoy fashion too.

I haven't got over the loss of People Tree! So many ethical companies now are either v plain basics or madly expensive IE £150+, I want something in between.

I've got CC sport socks, they're such better quality than the ones my kids wear. I like the ethos and I'm often eyeing up the CC t-shirts, sports clothes and underwear, I just don't need any more clothes 🤣 but I will definitely buy more from them.

You’re talking shit, @ThatGreyAnt. The first thing on that pointless site is a £15 faux leather dress - absolutely the opposite of ethical, sustainable clothing.

Yet another AI assisted advert.

Unfortunately they're really dull

I've got CC t shirt (great quality v neck), utility jacket which I wear loads, a breton top which is wearing well (sleeves a bit tight as I have muscles 💪) and a navy mac. I'm a fan.

I see it more as solid workhorse items that'll last and get worn over and over. To be mixed with the more flighty elements of my wardrobe.

I can see where @CharlotteCChapel's coming from. They're mostly plain, everyday basics with none of the fashion spin of say, the new Uniqlo C collection (which I also like). Like I've said, I sometimes wish Patrick Grant would lean into that just a tiny bit, but it's not going to happen.

I was wearing their (CC) Work Trousers yesterday which must be coming up to 3 years old and I think they look better now than when I bought them. They've kept their shape but now they also look nicely broken in - like your favourite jeans used to do before they started treating it pre-sale.

His book "Less" is all about this ethos - buy good, buy once, buy as good quality as you can afford and keep things until they fall to bits.

Also agree that his own band is not "fashion" - his book talks at length about the speeding up of the fashion cycle and how in the 80s when he was a teenager the collections changed twice a year, not twice a week. His style is classics and basics.

I think he's a little bit disingenuous sometimes about CC being 'affordable'. I can't always afford it and I lead a perfectly comfortable life. But it's terrific value for money. There have been a couple of occasions when I've bought something similar at Uniqlo instead because it was about a third of the price but each time, I've regretted it.

I abhor M&S and have boycotted them for years. They are almost solely responsible for the demise of the textile industry in the uk. Their business practices are dreadful, their clothes overpriced and poor quality. Their food is shit too.

They used to offer clothes of a decent quality but not anymore. Wouldn’t even buy their knickers now.

I want to love community clothing. I love the ethos but I just can’t fit into the jeans and the Bretons are too tight on my arms. I also wish they had a store. If I could spend an hour finding the basics in my size I’d happily travel quite a distance for that.

Was tempted hy their chinos as staples.like this are hard.to.find

@WhitegreeNcandle Agree. I live abroad so can‘t risk having things sent in case it isn’t right. I’d happily go and try things on to figure out sizing on a trip to the UK. They did have a pop up shop once a few years ago.

I have a v-neck T-shirt from CC - it’s just OK, a bit lopsided. I’d buy again though because I’m on board with the ethos.

They are almost solely responsible for the demise of the textile industry in the uk.
I don't think that's entirely fair. If I remember correctly, they were pretty much the last major retailer to switch to overseas production. They said at the time - and I believed them - that they couldn't compete any more if they stayed in the UK. It did have a huge impact - I worked near a couple of their factories and I know how it ended - but I don't go along with the idea that it was all down to them.

If I were to hold any high street retailer responsible for current fast fashion practices, it would be Zara.

Zara rather than Primark?

I understand it was Zara who pioneered the practice of introducing new lines every few weeks that weren't repeated once they were sold out and that instilled a 'buy it today or lose it' mentality into shoppers. Other retailers followed suit. I've seen a few articles about it - here's one of them.

https://retailtimes.co.uk/the-zara-phenomenon-how-fast-fashion-redefined-the-global-retail-industry/

I love the sports socks! And I completely agree with the rest of your post.

I find his approach really interesting, especially the focus on buying less and choosing better pieces. I’m not sure I could go that minimal, but it does make you think about how much we actually need in our wardrobes.
Curious if anyone here has actually tried their pieces long term?

Have you read his book Less?

Not yet, but I keep hearing about it. I’m curious whether people actually maintain that mindset long term.

I have, for most of my adult life. I try to buy the best I can access and wear things until they fall apart. Have said it before here, but until lockdown I had almost no experience of buying ‘loungewear’. My home clothes were simply my oldest and most ragged things.

I’m not in the least utilitarian though. I like lovely things, and see nothing wrong in evolving fashion - the art and craft and expertise that goes into producing the best, and the ability of really talented designers to interpret the zeitgeist and show us things we didn’t know we wanted. I’m just not interested in the throwaway mode of dressing.

(The same with food or household stuff: buy the best, use it, no waste.)

I know this thread was started a while back but I agree with M&S playing a huge role in the demise of the UK textile industry. They wouldn’t let factories supply other companies so when M&S stopped using then they had lost their previous buyers.