Description

In a specially extended interview for the Cordwainers, Katie Greenyer talks to maverick Patrick Cox the award-winning, British-trained, Canadian fashion designer whose eponymous footwear label introduced the Wannabe loafer, one of the most iconic shoes of the 90s. 

Patrick talks about his peripatetic childhood between Canada and Africa, and his early days as a self-professed 'fashion victim' with a driving desire to stand out from the crowd and ‘be noticed’.

Listen, as he recounts his time as a ‘disruptor’ at Cordwainers Technical 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 the fashion shows in Paris, embracing the New Romanticism of the era, but when it could have been ‘anything’ it was footwear that caught his attention.

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 - 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.