Patrick Grant visits Holmfirth!

On 16 May, a group from Thread Republic visited Holmfirth for the evening to hear Patrick Grant be interviewed about his new book LESS: Stop Buying So Much Rubbish: How Having Fewer, Better Things Can Make Us Happier.

Directors of Thread Republic: Julia, Holly and Kim meet Patrick Grant.

He signed our copy of his book (it will be at the Hub resource library from next week) and we gave him some information about Thread Republic, a copy of the WOVEN 2025 programme and a flyer for our upcoming exhibition Textile Citizens (the flyer that he's pointing to!)

To a packed audience he delivered a passionate, highly informed, articulate and funny plea that echoes the sentiment of the book: How the chasm between maker and seller for the billions of items being sold online and in stores today has significantly worsened their quality to the point they are rendered almost useless. 

Patrick Grant speaking to a full house at The Civic in Holmfirth

From the book...

"Our consumption is so thoughtless and careless. We buy so much, and yet we enjoy so little" p.74

"Knowing how to make things arms us in the fight against being flogged low quality stuff" p.93

I've spent the last couple of weeks reading the book and it's packed full of textile industry insight, statistics, quotes and commentary from his incredible experience and research. From buying Norton & Sons on Savile Row to being cast as a judge on Sewing Bee, then saving a Blackburn factory from closure and bringing Community Clothing into the world (plus a million things in-between) his journey through the turbulent economics of textile, fashion, manufacturing and retail is an important story of our time. 

His vision for Community Clothing is simple genius. Putting common sense economics and skill at the heart of the business and rooting in a community for the long term is a breath of fresh air. 

Our economy and society can't afford more hyper- consumption-as-usual, however cheap the end product might be. We need a lot more change, and a lot less stuff.

Signed paperback copies of his book are available from 17 May 2025 at Read bookshop in Holmfirth.

A small group from our Thread Republic network at The Civic in Holmfirth.