HAND-ME-DOWNS: British men’s wear designer Tom Cridland is setting up shop on London’s King’s Road in January, offering customers his collection of sustainable apparel.
Cridland, who launched his brand last year with a 6,000 pound, or $9,137, government start-up loan, reported revenues of 250,000 pounds, or $380,737, in the first year. The collection includes sweatshirts, T-shirts and chinos — and has already been donned by celebrities including Leonardo DiCaprio, Hugh Grant, Ben Stiller and Daniel Craig.
“My take on sustainable fashion is that it’s not just for those with an interest in the environment,” Cridland told WWD. “It’s for consumers looking for a bargain, and for designers who love designing a new collection every year. Sustainable fashion doesn’t mean you can’t buy new clothes all the time. It just means we shouldn’t waste our valuable natural resources making clothing that’s systematically built to fall apart, as many high-street fast fashion retailers are guilty of doing.
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“Trends don’t last forever and brands need business from repeat business. That does not mean we need to make wardrobe staples to fall apart. An item like a plain colored sweatshirt or T-shirt should have a long lifespan, and that’s the ethos behind The 30-Year Sweatshirt. My brand will continue to design more ‘on trend’ or limited-edition items every year and my customers may recycle those clothes or hand them down should they tire of them.”
Cridland insists the 30-year guarantee is not a gimmick, and the sweatshirt and T-shirt are backed by a promise to last three decades. He will offer replacements and repairs free of charge.
Prices range from 25 pounds, or $38, for a T-shirt to 89 pounds, or $135, for chinos. The collection is available for purchase on tomcridland.co.uk and 10 percent of sales goes to Deki, a platform that helps struggling entrepreneurs in developing countries.
Cridland’s brand is currently stocked at Concept Y Store in London; Manitic in Poland, and on wolfandbadger.com.
The King’s Road shop, he said, is going to be very special. “It will be a shop full of color, and I’ve handpicked employees from family and close friends, so we’ll have a really personable team. I’m going to be on-site every day and I can’t wait to meet more customers.”
The designer added that he will be hosting a big charity event next year instead of showing during London Collections: Men, which takes place from Jan. 8-11. He also plans to do a promotional tour in the U.S. for his new range of blazers and shirts.