J M Crane

 I said goodbye to my Grandfather for the last time yesterday, a magnificent 95-year-old man with 65 direct descendants and counting.

My reason for mentioning his passing in this context is that he is one of the few people in my life that has had an incredible influence on me.

Given how entwined my working life is in my personal life it’s hard for me to look at a lot of what I do without sensing his shadow.

He wasn't cremated in a suit, in fact, he wasn’t at all sartorial, he spent most of his working life in white coveralls and I think every piece of clothing he owned had paint on it.

He was a signwriter by trade, an artist, entrepreneur and an innovator. What he taught me was something I can never properly explain. In design terms, it is called freehand and it involves a pencil. In tailoring circles, it is called, “The Rock of Eye”.

The theory goes that bodies do not possess any right angles so the use of a measure or ruler is at times redundant. You need to rely on your eye, gut and touch.

Basically: don’t be blinded by science, be blinded by creativity and don’t let logic override your instincts.

Men's tailoring like signwriting is at times incredibly technical but what looks right probably is right.

Practice makes imperfect.