Patrick Grant is one of the faces of the Great British Sewing Bee, and the designer has a booming business and has turned over millions.
The star came from humble beginnings, confessing to the Telegraph in 2018 that when he bought his first fashion company, his only experience in the sector was as a sales assistant at Gap. So, how did he build up his fashion empire? Read on to find out all you need to know…
Beginnings
Patrick admitted during his Telegraph interview that he actually got his big breakthrough by sheer coincidence. "By chance I read the businesses for sale section in the Financial Times and noticed the family-owned tailor Norton & Sons was up for sale," he explained.
Patrick was "intrigued" due to the brand's heritage, having previously worked for royalty, and he bought the brand in 2005. At the time of his purchase, which was funded through the selling of his Liverpool home and a business loan, Norton & Sons was in dire straits, struggling to pay bills and having few customers.
The brand was also focusing less on "bespoke tailoring" and selling firearms-related products and holidays, something Patrick scrapped to re-focus on the fashion side.
Things weren't easy in the beginning, with the star only giving himself a £21,000 salary over the first three years. "Throughout the whole of July 2006 the front door opened just once and I watched my bank savings trickle away," he shared. "Once I'd paid my employees, the rent, my tax and the bank, there was sometimes nothing left for me."
Turning things around
Business began booming by 2009, with Patrick crediting two pieces of "good luck" for this. One was the featuring of the brand in the BBC documentary Savile Row, and the working with the then up-and-coming designer, Kim Jones. Through this, the brand started working with young fashion designers and established names like Alexander McQueen.
2009 was a big year for Patrick, as he also relaunched E. Tautz & Sons, which he had acquired in 2005, as a ready-to-wear brand. The relaunch was so successful that the designer scooped the Menswear Designer at the 2011 British Fashion Awards.
Other businesses
The designer has been involved with three other businesses since acquiring his first two. In 2013, he relaunched Hammond & Co. and purchased Cookson & Clegg in 2015. In 2016, Patrick launched the sustainable clothing brand, Community Clothing.
His businesses were successful enough that by 2018 his business empire was worth roughly £75 million.
Current businesses
Patrick's business empire has changed considerably over the past few years. Following the COVID-19 pandemic, he sold his majority stake in Norton & Sons, although he still holds a minority stake in the company. Meanwhile, E. Tautz & Sons went out of business in 2021 due to the pandemic and as Hammond & Co. was an exclusive to Debenhams, it stopped selling once the brand closed its store in 2021.
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