Tan France has opened up about his fashion career and revealed that his grandfather used to make knockoff Disney products.
The 39-year-old designer shared how he first got interested in fashion during a recent episode of The Jennifer Hudson Show, recalling the clothes he wore as a child and the business that his grandparents had.
“I was raised in a really religious household, my family’s Muslim, and so, I was often wearing modest clothing,” he said. “But my grandparents owned a denim factory, and they would make denim products for Disney.”
He also told Jennifer Hudson that later on in his life, he learned that the family business wasn’t what he thought.
“I say that my family was making denim for Disney, and then I wrote a book a couple of years ago, and my sister read the book, and she was like, ‘You’ve got to stop telling that story publicly,’ and I was like, ‘Why, what on earth is wrong?’” the Queer Eye star said. “And she said, ‘Well, you were too young to remember that Granddad wasn’t making denim products for Disney, we were knocking off Disney.’”
Hudson laughed at the story, before France pointed out how frequently he’d wear these fake Disney items.
“So we were selling knock-off Disney items,” he added. “And I was wearing them to school so proudly!”
Elsewhere in the interview, France acknowledged that he helped them out in the factory throughout his childhood, and even enjoyed doing so.
“So, I would help out at the factory, damage some stuff on purpose, so that I could keep those items, and I would style them at home,” he said. “Between the ages of like seven and 13, I learned how to sew so well.”
The Next in Fashion co-host explained that after this experience, he knew that he wanted to continue designing for the “rest of [his] life”.
“In my opinion, clothes hold so much power. Fashion holds so much power. It’s not just about what you put on your body,” he said. “I want to put on a look everyday that makes me feel like, ‘I can go into any space and feel powerful.’ And I’ve thought that for years, since I was seven or eight.”
Over the years, France has been open about his life in fashion. During an appearance on BBC Radio 5 Live in 2019, he talked about fast fashion brands and how he doesn’t criticise people for buying from them.
“Fast fashion, I don’t knock it because I remember being poor and not being able to afford a look that David Beckham was wearing so I would get a cheap version of it somewhere else,” he said. “I would get the look for a lot less because that was the only option available to me so I don’t knock anybody who is going to a fast fashion retailer.”
He also shared his thoughts about repeating outfits: “I’m in an industry where you would assume I would only wear something once and not wear it again because I’ve already posted about it. I don’t. If I love something I wear it a lot.”
