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  • Less

  • Stop Buying So Much Rubbish: How Having Fewer, Better Things Can Make Us Happier
  • By: Patrick Grant
  • Narrated by: Patrick Grant
  • Length: 11 hrs and 55 mins
  • 4.9 out of 5 stars (127 ratings)

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Less

By: Patrick Grant
Narrated by: Patrick Grant
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Summary

‘Utterly brilliant. We all need to read this book’ CLAUDIA WINKLEMAN

'Patrick’s book is fascinating and sobering and makes a compelling argument for going back to basics’ JOE LYCETT

We used to care a lot about our clothes. We didn’t have many but those we had were important to us. We’d cherish them, repair them and pass them on. And making them provided fulfilling work for millions of skilled people locally.

Today the average person has nearly five times as many clothes as they did just 50 years ago. Last year, 100 billion garments were produced worldwide, most made from oil, 30% of which were not even sold, and the equivalent of one bin lorry full of clothing is dumped in landfill or burned every single second. Our wardrobes are full to bursting with clothes we never wear so why do we keep buying more?

In this passionate and revealing book about loving clothes but despairing of a broken global system Patrick Grant considers the crisis of consumption and quality in fashion, and how we might make ourselves happier by rediscovering the joy of living with fewer, better-quality things.

Weaving in his personal journey through fashion, clothing and the other everyday objects in his life, this is a book that celebrates craftsmanship, making things with care, buying things with thought and valuing everything we own. It explains how rethinking our relationship with clothing could kickstart a thriving new local economy bringing prosperity and hope back to places in our country that have lost out to globalisation, offshore manufacturing and to the madness of price and quantity being the only things that matter.

'Presents a new way of thinking about the things we buy' KEITH BRYMER-JONES

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2024 Patrick Grant (P)2024 HarperCollins Publishers
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What listeners say about Less

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Absolutely wonderful

Thought provoking and historical info. I love hearing him read it. Thank you Mr Patrick Grant

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why is Patrick not in government

truly eye opening! anyone who is struggling with life should listen.well read and easy to listen to. thank you

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Briiliant

Superb book and much needed point of view. I absolutely loved Patrick's narration and I am grateful for the research. The eye watering statistics of the sheer waste of the world's resources in the fast fashion industry are just incredible. It is also empowering to know that if we actively choose not to be sucked into fast fashion consumerism, we can all help to make a better world for future generations and the world we live in.

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A resonance of needing less

Patrick does highlight well the crass consumerism of the fast fashion industry. He also discusses in depth his passion and activity to have people buy better, more durable, good quality goods (not just clothes!). He highlights the need for us as a country to look at our education system and the current workplaces the youth are going into.

Read or listen to it - it will help make you ponder some of your buying choices going forward.

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How easy it is to practice many of the ideas in here

I enjoyed listening to Patrick and his evident joy in life.
I am now Eighty and many of the ideas he proposes are what I grew up with.
What he says about the purchase of PPE from China during lockdown vindicates what I felt at the time, but how do ordinary people influence change in the circumstances?
I really empathised with the talk about fabrics in the past. I recall the lovely dresses I made in the sixties with vogue patterns and even the coats I made for myself. Fortunately I know my way to Linton Tweeds.

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Really excellent- a book written with skill and care

This audiobook (well read by the author ) touches on many topics in an interesting and thought provoking way. Part memoir, part social and economic history , part philosophy and part economic and industrial strategy. We’d certainly have a happier and more equitable society if politicians and manufacturers took to heart his thoughts on public procurement, quality versus cost, sustainability and reshoring manufacturing…..and that’s just a part of the book. Well worth a listen.

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We need to think differently…

And this book explains why. Head turning, and really made me think about what I want and need and the difference

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Manifesto for a new way of living

Amen, amen and I say again amen - thank you Patrick for your manifesto for a new way of living that benefits all humans and the planet - you are a national treasure x

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A much needed book

An excellent book which goes into why we need to buy less, high quality, local products and the social, economic and environmental benefits.

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More!

Really enjoyed this, to the point of wanting more! Will look forward to listening to it again. Even the Acknowledgements were a heartfelt listen. Thank you for giving or reminding us of this perspective.

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