Garments to Live In by Camilla Greenwell
A couple of years ago, I posted a video of Max Porter reading Wild West at The Palestine Festival of Literature in December 2023. My post was titled “Does the devil wear a grey M&S suit with comfy brown Merrells?”, a line from his text.
I was happy to see him featured in a new video commissioned by TOAST, a clothing company that makes “simple, modern and functional pieces intended to last for years to come”. I’ve been a regular customer for almost 10 years, so seeing Max Porter and his wife Jess Porter in this video delighted me because we have the same taste in clothes.
Titled Garments to Live In, the video is directed by Camilla Greenwell and is an example of how “branded content” can feature actual professionals who sound smart and relatable, and giving us a bit of personal insight. Unlike many branded content made in the UAE and across the region that are mostly performative, with no depth, and featuring self-promoting influencers who have no professional knowledge or personal connection to what they are promoting.
Garments to Live In also highlights autumn, my favourite season, even if this version of autumn doesn’t exist in Dubai.
Writer Max Porter and his wife Jess, who works at Persephone Books, live in Bath, in a home filled with books and objects made by family and friends. Much of their life happens around the dining table, or outside on familiar walks along the canal and through nearby woodland.
Clothes are part of this everyday life. Max has dressed in much the same way for years, returning to loose trousers, jackets and knitwear that can be worn at home or out walking. Jess is an enthusiastic collector of knitwear, and the first cardigan of autumn has become a marker of the changing season.
They both value garments that improve through wear and can be repaired when needed. A jumper might be mended by Jess, taken to a friend nearby, or posted to Max’s mother in Devon. Through these small acts of care, favourite pieces stay in use and become part of family life.