Patrick Grant
Creative Director, Norton & Sons and Community Clothing
The Scottish designer has transformed two forgotten Mayfair tailoring houses into notable menswear brands.
Over the past decade Grant has brought two floundering Savile Row tailoring houses back to greatness. In 2015, he won a BFC/GQ Fashion Fund grant and opened his first flagship for E. Tautz, on London’s Duke Street, around the corner from the 19th century label’s original store on Oxford Street.
With no formal training in fashion, he studied material sciences and engineering but launched himself into the industry while he was still in the middle of his MBA at Saïd Business School at Oxford. In 2005, he saw an advert in the FT for the sale of Norton & Sons, a tailor established in 1821 that had once dressed Cary Grant, Alfred Hitchcock and Kaiser Wilhelm I. Mortgaging everything he owned, Grant bought the company on a whim.
By dragging the tailor into the 21st century, Grant was able to pull it back to profitability. Bespoke business had tripled by 2011 and Grant was making his mark in the menswear world. Norton & Sons has since created tailored catwalk looks for the likes of Christopher Kane and Henry Holland.
In 2009, Grant expanded into ready-to-wear with the re-launch of another traditional London tailor, the then-defunct E. Tautz who once made clothes for Winston Churchill. A year later, Grant was awarded menswear designer of the year at the British Fashion Awards. Since then, Norton & Sons and E. Tautz have grown to have a turnover of more than £1 million (around $1.55 million) each year, and E. Tautz has collaborated with Christian Louboutin , Barbour and J Crew.
In 2013, Grant was made an Honorary Professor at Glasgow Caledonian University’s School of Business and Society, in 2016, he was made a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (RSA) while in 2017, he was awarded an honorary degree by Heriot-Watt University.
In 2016, Grant launched Community Clothing making affordable ethical clothing and supporting UK textile jobs. In 2020, Community Clothing launched Homgrown/Homespun a project to restart flax growing and linen textile production in the UK.
Patrick is a regular fixture on television and radio as a commentator on British fashion, clothing and textile industries. He has also contributed to several TV documentaries, including Savile Row, Harris Tweed and The Perfect Suit. From 2013 to 2019, Grant has been a judge on The Great British Sewing Bee, a BBC Two reality show where amateur sewers compete to be named "Britain's best home sewer."
Career History
Director
2005 - Present
VITAL STATISTICS
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It seems inevitable that sustainability will figure at least somewhat more prominently into apparel-purchase decisions in the near future. And so clothing retailers must be ready to do right on this issue.
Op-Ed | Is Fashion’s Eco-Consciousness More Than a Label Yet?
It seems inevitable that sustainability will figure at least somewhat more prominently into apparel-purchase decisions in the near future. And so clothing retailers must be ready to do right on this issue.
Latter-Day Dandies at E. Tautz
The look of the show reflected the changing face of Patrick Grant's customer, who has undoubtedly become more casually-minded.
Latter-Day Dandies at E. Tautz
The look of the show reflected the changing face of Patrick Grant's customer, who has undoubtedly become more casually-minded.
Earth-toned Casualwear
It would have been so much better for Grant to talk through the clothes in a presentation: clarifying their unassuming subtleties, couching limitations as quiet strengths.
Earth-toned Casualwear
It would have been so much better for Grant to talk through the clothes in a presentation: clarifying their unassuming subtleties, couching limitations as quiet strengths.
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Almost a year after LVMH appointed former Apple Music executive, Ian Rogers, his impact on the world's biggest luxury goods group has yet to become visible.
LVMH's Digital Drive Takes Time Despite Apple Hire
Almost a year after LVMH appointed former Apple Music executive, Ian Rogers, his impact on the world's biggest luxury goods group has yet to become visible.
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Reshoring — bringing manufacturing back to Europe and the US — can help fashion businesses build their brands and improve agility. But is it worth it?
Does Reshoring Fashion Manufacturing Make Sense?
Reshoring — bringing manufacturing back to Europe and the US — can help fashion businesses build their brands and improve agility. But is it worth it?
London Collections: Men Bridges Old and New
At London Collections: Men, Colin McDowell finds consummate, precise and personal menswear, both from stalwart British fashion houses and faces relatively new to the city’s fashion scene.
London Collections: Men Bridges Old and New
At London Collections: Men, Colin McDowell finds consummate, precise and personal menswear, both from stalwart British fashion houses and faces relatively new to the city’s fashion scene.
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In London, From Emerging Designers to Emerging Businesses?
Will new initiatives like the BFC/GQ Designer Menswear Fund succeed in transforming London from a capital of emerging designers to a capital of emerging businesses? BoF reports.
A Row of Opportunity, Part 2
Yesterday, in part 1, BoF examined how several Savile Row tailors are leveraging their unique heritage to launch more scalable ready-to-wear lines with new vigour. Today, we look at the impact on ‘The Row’ and the competition it faces.
A Row of Opportunity, Part 2
Yesterday, in part 1, BoF examined how several Savile Row tailors are leveraging their unique heritage to launch more scalable ready-to-wear lines with new vigour. Today, we look at the impact on ‘The Row’ and the competition it faces.
A Row of Opportunity, Part 1
In a fast-growing global menswear market, London's Savile Row, the traditional bastion of bespoke tailoring, is leveraging its unique, internationally-recognised heritage to launch more scalable ready-to-wear lines with new vigour. BoF reports.
A Row of Opportunity, Part 1
In a fast-growing global menswear market, London's Savile Row, the traditional bastion of bespoke tailoring, is leveraging its unique, internationally-recognised heritage to launch more scalable ready-to-wear lines with new vigour. BoF reports.
London Collections: Men | If You Build It, They Will Come — But Will They Buy?
In a city where big shows can mean just that, BoF examines the rise of London Collections: Men and the business impact on the brands taking part.
London Collections: Men | If You Build It, They Will Come — But Will They Buy?
In a city where big shows can mean just that, BoF examines the rise of London Collections: Men and the business impact on the brands taking part.
What is The BoF 500?
The people shaping the global fashion industry, curated by the editors of The Business of Fashion, based on nominations and on-the-ground intelligence from around the world.
