Less is more: rethinking consumption with Patrick Grant

In this episode, Libby Peake, senior fellow and head of resource policy, speaks to Patrick Grant, clothing designer and BBC's Sewing Bee judge, discussing Grant's book "Less." They delve into the shift taken over the last century from quality manufacturing that benefited communities to a fast fashion model that generates enormous waste and minimal value. 

In this conversation, Patrick Grant advocates for a "lower consumption, higher value economy," where people buy fewer but better quality items that last longer, create local repair economies and generate more satisfaction. He highlights how many consumers today lack a frame of reference for quality goods, having grown up with synthetic materials, and emphasises the distinction between enduring "clothing" versus disposable "fashion." The episode concludes with both speakers agreeing that while fashion has cultural value, the current system of AI-designed, oil-based disposable fashion is unsustainable and requires policy intervention to incentivise quality and local production.