Patrick talks about his peripatetic childhood in Canada and Africa, and his early days as a self-professed ‘fashion victim’, whose driving desire was to stand out from the crowd and be noticed.
He recounts his time as a disruptor at Cordwainers College in London in the 80s, where he rubbed shoulders with the infamous ‘Cordwainer Six’. Obsessed with international design, he bunked off college to attend fashion shows in Paris, embracing the New Romanticism of the era. He was the ultimate design polymath interested in all aspects of fashion, but it was footwear – specifically – that caught his attention.
‘Why shoes? I took everything very scientifically. For me a shoe is like a building, it’s like architecture, it has an inside and an outside, and a concealed supporting structure.’
Patrick recalls working with the brilliant Vivienne Westwood and her team – ‘for the absolute love and joy and honour’ – which gave him the key breaks he needed on his footwear journey. The connection kickstarted his career, from launching his own label and first collection in 1986, through to projects with John Galliano, Geox and Sophia Webster, who credited him with inspiring her design career.
Finally, he touches on the challenges of working with investors and brands and opens up about his very personal journey through rehab, struggling with depression. He talks about his current project building his own brand ‘Doors of Perception’ and looks forward to the next life chapter in an extraordinary design career.