Suresh Singh ( London,UK) has been wearing this tank top since 1973
Perhaps
everyone has a favourite piece of clothing they have worn for years? I always
admired Suresh Singh’s jazzy tank top and I was astonished when he told me he
has been wearing it for nearly half a century.
Suresh’s father Joginder Singh came to London from the Punjab in 1949 and the Singh family lived at 38 Princelet St longer than any other family in Spitalfields.
Suresh Singh aged four
In our age of disposable fashion, the story of Suresh’s
treasured tank top is an inspiring example of how a well made garment can be
cherished for a lifetime.
“My mum made this tank top for me in 1973 when I was eleven. She
had friends who all knitted and they had bits of wool left over – what you
would call ‘cabbage’ – so mum collected all these balls of different
coloured wool. Otherwise, they would have been chucked away. She kept them in
her carrier bag with her needles that she bought at Woolworths in Aldgate East.
They were number ten needles.
Suresh and his mum at 38 Princelet St,London,UK
Mum said to me, ‘Suresh, I’m going to knit you a tank top.’ I never
asked her because dad had taught me that I should always be patient, but I
think mum saw the twinkle in my eyes and she knew I wanted one. I had
asthma, so it was to keep my chest warm. She knitted it over the winter, from
November to January. Mum never had the spare time to spend all day long
knitting, she had to do it in bits as she went along and keep putting it away.
Mum did not follow a pattern, she just looked at me and sometimes
took measurements. It started getting really huge, so I said, ‘Mum, it’s going
to be too big.’ She had a sense of scale, she did not draw round me and cut a
pattern. Mum never did that. She replied, ‘You’ll grow into it.’ The idea was
you would slowly grow into new clothes.
When my tank top was finished, it hung down to my knees and the
armholes were at my waist, but Mum was adamant I would grow into it. I loved it
because it was all the rainbow colours. There was red, then yellow, then black,
then pink and that really beautiful green. It was so outrageous. No other
Punjabi kid had one like it. They all wore Marks & Spencer or John Collier
grey nylon jumpers, but I had this piece of art. To me, it was a masterpiece.
It was so beautifully made, it was mum’s pride and joy. When I wore it,
people would exclaim, ‘That tank top, mate, it’s classic!’ I would say, ‘Yeah,
my mum made it.’ Sometimes, because it was too big, I could pull it up and tie
it in a knot at the front.
Mum made it with such love that I have always kept it. Eventually,
my children wore it, but I am claiming it these days. It is a one-off. What
made the tank top special for mum was that she was making it for her
son. People often say it is a work of art but mum never went to art
school. She picked up the tradition of making something for your child. She put
so much love into it and I wear it today and it is still really nice. It gives
me comfort and it keeps my chest warm.
It has got swag, you know what I mean?
It fits me now.”
Suresh Singh & Jagir Kaur at 38 Princelet St,London,UK
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