INTERVIEW ❝
THE BIG
SHOULD ANYTHING HAPPEN TO THEIR GARMENT WITHIN 30 YEARS, WE WILL REPAIR OR REPLACE IT FREE OF CHARGE. IT’S THE ANTIDOTE TO THROWAWAY FASHION
Tom talks me through his
supply chain. “The garments are made out of cotton that we source from Biella in northern Italy and are now crafted in Serra da Estrela, Portugal. Technological advances allowed us to develop a special treatment to protect the clothing against shrinking. We’re selling clothing of a quality you might usually find on Fifth Avenue or Bond Street, direct to the consumer without third party retail markups. This allows us to make our clothing durable, which protects natural resources, and offer it at a reasonable price. The 30-year concept is the game changer, however, though our process is second to none.” Tom puts a lot of the company’s success
down to his close working relationship with girlfriend Debs who he met when they were teenagers at university in Bristol. “My relationship with Debs is the cornerstone of both my personal and professional life,” he says. “When we met, I was depressed, drank too much, was overweight and a heavy smoker with no idea what I wanted to do in life. Today, I’m sober, don’t smoke, work out every day and am passionate about what I do for a living. I shudder to think where I’d be without her. She’s the rock on whom I depend. Her talent is equalled by her hard work and discipline. Her attitude is far more measured than my gung-ho approach, so we complement each other very well in our business partnership, as we do in life in general.”
34 SME
Big names like Rod Stewart, Daniel Craig and Ben Stiller have been known to wear Tom Cridland clothes
And his advice for anyone wanting
to follow in his footsteps and break into the world of fashion? “Avoid getting conceited and look after your money. Maintain a desire to learn and keep trying to improve yourself. Love what you do. Don’t be discouraged by anyone who doesn’t understand your vision and certainly don’t be put off by how cliquey the industry can be. Just because you’re not hobnobbing at London Fashion Week, quaffing champagne and uploading Instagram stories showcasing the latest pointless soiree you’re attending does not mean your designs aren't unique.” Away from work, Tom and Debs
play in a band they formed called The Tomicks and when we speak they are about to release their first album and play in the Troubadour in west London on two successive nights to mark the event. “It’s hugely exciting,” says Tom. “Alongside fashion, music is something I truly feel is a calling in life and a way of
us expressing ourselves. We absolutely love writing and playing music, and we had a blast making this first record at The Village in LA, one of the best studios in the world. Simply Red’s Kenji Suzuki played guitar and bass on it and more than 100 adverts went up on the London Underground around release day. A project like this would have seemed impossible a couple of years ago but it’s been a joyous business journey and one that just keeps getting better and better. We’re actually going to be making our second album at Abbey Road next.” With so much going on in the present,
you could excuse Tom for not looking too far into the future but, not surprisingly, he knows where he might like to be in 2025. “I want Tom Cridland to be the world’s leading sustainable fashion brand, for men and for women, and The Tomicks to be playing live regularly to big audiences. It might be pie in the sky but you’ve got to have a reason to get up in the morning.”
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