The Great British Sewing Bee star Patrick Grant's surprising career before fashion

The Scottish star is a judge on the BBC One show

TV and film writer

June 7, 2023Jun 7, 2023, 5:00 PM GMT+1

Patrick Grant has been keeping viewers entertained in the brand-new series of The Great British Sewing Bee on BBC One for the last few weeks.

The fashion designer, who is a judge on the show alongside fellow fashion guru Esme Young, has enjoyed an impressive career in the industry. But did you know that fashion wasn't his first career choice?

WATCH: The Great British Sewing Bee’s Patrick Grant jokes around with co-star Esme Young

While Patrick is now the director of bespoke tailors such as Norton & Sons of Savile Row and E. Tautz & Sons, he initially set out for a career in engineering.

The businessman studied engineering at Leeds University and, after returning to the UK following a stint in America as a ski instructor and counsellor at a summer camp, went on to work in marketing.

Sara Pascoe hosts the show, while Esme Young and Patrick Grant judge the contestants — Sara Pascoe hosts the BBC show, while Esme Young and Patrick Grant judge the contestants

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He later studied for an MBA at the internationally renowned Saïd Business School at Oxford University, which is where he found his passion. While studying, he picked up a copy of the Financial Times, in which bespoke tailor Norton & Sons was being advertised for sale by the Granger family.

Patrick is a fashion designer and business owner

"I had no idea what it might entail or cost, but just knew I wanted to find out more," he told GQ in 2015.

Upon graduating from Oxford, Patrick bought the business, which consisted of only him, one tailor and one part-time cutter at the time.

Through his purchase of Norton & Sons, he also obtained the rights to two further businesses, E Tautz and Hammond & Co., and went on to relaunch E Tautz in 2009 as a ready-to-wear brand. He was named Menswear Designer of 2010 at the British Fashion Awards in recognition of his work.

Patrick is also the director of Community Clothing, which is made at textile manufacturer Cookson & Clegg in Blackburn, and used the business to make PPE for the NHS during the coronavirus pandemic.

Most recently, the Scottish star presented BBC Two's Coronation Tailors: Fit for a King, a documentary that went behind the scenes at Tottenham-based family-run business, Kashket & Partners, which made 6,000 uniforms for military personnel for the coronation.

Patrick presented BBC Two's Coronation Tailors: Fit for a King in May

Opening up about working with King Charles, Patrick told PA news agency: "I work a little bit for His Majesty, and I’ve met him on many occasions – he is a lover of beautiful things, he is a lover of clothes, he’s a lover of craftsmanship."

It's clear that Patrick developed an appreciation for fashion at a young age, telling The Guardian: "I've always been really interested in clothes. I don't remember ever not being completely aware of what I was wearing and wanting to be correctly put together."

Patrick went behind the scenes at Kashket & Partners in Coronation Tailors: Fit for a King

As for the secret to his success, he said: "I'm an optimist. I don't think you can start your own business if you're not. You have to assume everything is going to go well. I'm a positive person. I don't ever really feel anxious."

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