Kenilworth man aims to encourage more men and boys to sew

Clive Bruder said he started the Boys Sew Too account on Instagram to try and inspire men and boys to sew

"There is still a stigma over young lads sewing."

Clive Bruder wants to inspire more men and boys to pick up a needle and thread at home and get sewing.

The 44-year-old, from Kenilworth, Warwickshire, started an account in 2022 on Instagram called Boys Sew Too to try to make the craft more diverse.

He was inspired after the death of a close friend and said "if it's one or a thousand, it means a lot to me and if he was here he'd be very proud".

Mr Bruder's own love of sewing began when he was about 10 when he made some curtains with his mum for their home on an old sewing machine given by a relative.

"I am at my happiest when I'm sewing. When I'm at the sewing machine, I could lose myself for hours, it's really good for my mental health," he said.

Mr Bruder said he was "at my happiest when I'm sewing"

Having studied textile design at college and fashion at university, he moved to Kenilworth and started his own business sewing before the Covid-19 pandemic forced him to close.

Instead, he supported his husband Mark with a sewing patterns company after teaching him to sew and his husband went on to appear on the BBC's Great British Sewing Bee in 2020.

The pair attended craft shows and, in 2022, Mr Bruder and his friend Rob Dawson held a catwalk at an event in London. He said they had been the only men on the catwalk.

Mr Dawson told the crowd at the event "I'm here to say 'Boys Sew Too'" and when he died suddenly two weeks later, Mr Bruder said he had been inspired to take on his words.

"I wanted to do something in the sewing world and as a tribute to Rob, to continue that motivation," he said.

The 44-year-old said he felt there was still a stigma about boys sewing

While there are men in the fashion world in roles such as design and tailoring, Mr Bruder said he wanted them to feel able to sew at home.

He started a new business, We Sew Too, this year and will be holding workshops at the Creative Craft Show at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham from Thursday to Sunday.

"I'd like to think I've inspired a few people," he added.

"I met a person recently and she then sent pictures of her little boy sewing and that's really rewarding to see."

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