Craftsmanship: Interview with Kathryn Sargent, master cutter and tailor

Abstract

As part of the In Pursuit of Luxury podcast series, I have interviewed a number of people in a variety of areas in the luxury sector whose work involves areas ranging from design to business, manufacturing, publishing, sustainability and PR. I have interviewed designers and craftspersons and those who are involved in leadership roles in major corporations. In our pursuit of luxury and now in the eighth season of the In Pursuit of Luxury podcast we continue the debate around luxury. What is luxury? How is it defined? Who defines it? And why define it at all? These questions and more are at the forefront of our mind as we discuss current and emergent definitions of luxury and that they mean to each of our interviewees. I have interviewed master craftsmen like, for example, the watchmaker, Roger W. Smith, the jeweller Theo Fennell, the designer Ron Arad and the Michelin star chef Ollie Dabbous. I thought Master Cutter and Tailor Kathryn Sargent’s interview would be particularly suited for this issue as she optimizes notions of craftsmanship in the world of bespoke tailoring.