Five questions for… Tom Cridland, fashion designer

842-SB-634 — Tom Cridland: a pioneer in sustainable fashion

What does your firm do?

What's been your greatest achievement so far?

The 30 Year Collection is what we're best known for. We guarantee wardrobe staples, such as sweatshirts, T-shirts and jackets for 30 years, building them to last and replacing or repairing them should anything happen to them during that period. This collection has been a life-changing experience for me, due to the overwhelming reaction I've received from our customers, the press and from having had the chance to make clothing for the likes of Leonardo DiCaprio, Sir Rod Stewart, Daniel Craig and Clint Eastwood.

What have been your biggest challenges?

Starting it all with just a £6,000 government start-up loan was more difficult than I had anticipated, simply because I was unable to afford stock with that amount of money, so I had to raise the capital to do so by relentlessly promoting a "pre-order sale". In my first year, as I was a 23-year-old modern languages graduate, I had to teach myself about the fashion industry and business, as I had no experience at all with either.

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What are your plans for hitting your targets?

I am on a 22-city "sustainable fashion tour" of the US, where I'm talking about the 30 Year Collection in a number of TV and print interviews. We're also launching our first new website in nearly three years and a womenswear collection, so I'm very busy.

What advice would you give?

Don't listen to those who don't understand your vision. They're the ones who will be most envious should your plans succeed. They couldn't comprehend the sense of fulfilment that trying to follow your dreams will bring you.

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