I was only able to dedicate myself fully to my career after giving up drinking. At rock bottom, my drinking had escalated to the point of consuming over 20 pints in single sessions, urinating all over myself, binge eating and putting on 30 kg in excess weight, appearing drunk on U.S. national television and sustaining serious head injuries.
I decided to give up alcohol and smoking after many years of substance abuse. The moment I thought, “Enough is enough” was when I turned up to my girlfriend’s dad’s 60th birthday incredibly drunk and embarrassed myself in front of her parents, who had never seen me so inebriated. I sat there in this very smart, Michelin-starred restaurant, pretty much not saying a word and, whenever I was called upon to offer comment, I would make an incredibly puerile, rude remark. The next morning, I woke up and felt so pathetic, so worried that I’d have no friends left without these sort of bizarre antics to attract attention to myself. I knew that I would have to give up drinking forever.
I took out a government start-up loan to become an entrepreneur. My eponymous brand Tom Cridland encompasses my music career (I am supporting The Stylistics on tour next year) and my podcast, “Greatest Music of All Time,” which includes guests Annie Lennox, Chance the Rapper, Smokey Robinson, David Crosby, Earth, Wind & Fire and many more. But it is, perhaps, best known for sustainable fashion.
One of my designs is The 30-Year Sweatshirt, which is backed with a 30-year guarantee — if anything happens to it during this period, we offer free repair or replacement. The sweatshirt is made out of organic and recycled materials.
We started with that government loan and have grown a global customer base since then while staying independent. We stand firmly against fast fashion. Our ethos is to encourage customers to keep their clothing for longer through our guarantees.
It may sound preachy but, as consumers, I believe it is our responsibility to know where our clothes are made. The millions who slave away in places like China, Bangladesh and India, churning out goods for big fashion corporations, are often so badly underpaid that they are unable to afford basic living expenses.
It is not just unethical working conditions that are the problem with the modern fast fashion trend. Even if you are indifferent to what goes on thousands of miles away from you, it is also you, the consumer, who suffers as a result. Greenpeace’s report, “Toxic Threads: The Big Fashion Stitch-Up,” revealed many facilities making cheap clothing for the major High Street fashion payers were using hazardous chemicals.
And then there’s the impact on the environment. Continuing to manufacture clothes that are worn only a few times is a huge waste of natural resources. As consumers, if we choose to throw away our clothes after one season, that has a big impact on our carbon and water footprints.
I was invited onto BBC Radio 4’s Today program to discuss sustainable fashion. What got me there? Princess Anne’s choice of outfit to Royal Ascot. While it was lovely to have such a high-profile platform from which to support eco-fashion, I do feel these issues should be taken a lot more seriously than they currently are by most.
When an item of clothing suits you well — a shirt in a color that flatters you or impeccably-cut trousers that fit you perfectly — there is no harm in re-wearing it. Some of the world’s biggest fashion icons are synonymous with particular items of clothing that they wore again and again. Saying no to fast fashion won’t only benefit the world and our natural resources; it will benefit your sense of style.
Tom Cridland
tom@tomcridland.com
