NEC Clothes Show Live presenter Rick Edwards: "I have had countless fashion disasters"
Presenter Rick Edwards is coming to Birmingham NEC for Clothes Show Live. He talks to Laura Francis about his fashion disasters and passion for politics
Looking at the well-groomed Rick Edwards, the dashing TV presenter and Channel 4 favourite, it is hard to think of him committing crimes against fashion.
But the Cambridge-graduate admits there are clothes that he still cringes over the memory of wearing.
“I have had countless fashion disasters. When I had quite a large gold hoop earring for a while, I looked like an idiot when I thought I looked quite cool.
“I had bleached blonde hair in a sort of mop.
“I had baggy Kappa sweatshirts. Incredibly baggy jeans hanging around below my bottom. They were absolutely awful.”
Despite these early sartorial disasters, Rick, 35, still loves clothes and has written a style column for the Observer Magazine for the past four years.
“The last thing I wrote about in my column was bags. I wanted a new one so I was just sort of talking about nice bags,” he says.
He will be bringing that enthusiasm for man bags and other items of manly apparel to Birmingham for the Clothes Show at the NEC.
He is hosting the catwalk show at the Alcatal One Touch fashion Theatre on December 6 and Catwalk show at the Alcatal One Touch fashion Theatre at Clothes Show Live
The catwalk is going to be decked out New York style and Rick will be joined on it by YouTube sensation Jim Chapman as well as various cast members from hit show Made in Chelsea.
“What makes it so exciting is just the scale of it. There isn’t anything else like it, certainly not in this country,” says Rick.
“I know lots of people who have been there and worked there, It’s incredible, just so big with so many people.
“I remember my mum used to watch the Clothes Show on TV. I think I was quite young.”
He has happy – if hazy – memories of previous visits to Birmingham.
“It’s a nice city with friendly people.
“I’ve had some good nights out in Birmingham. It was the sort of night out where I couldn’t tell you where I went, which I think is a good sign!”
Both Rick’s sense of style and the type of programmes he presents have matured since his days fronting T4, the now-defunct youth entertainment show, and three seasons of Channel 4’s Tool Academy.
“I don’t really follow trends that closely because I think it’s harder as a man. If you dress very kind of fashion, very directionally, you look like bit of a dork, whereas I think it’s quite different for women.
“Men sort of look best in nice, classic things – nothing too out there.”
After T4 he went on to cover the Paralympics for Channel 4’s That Paralympics Show and The Paralympic Breakfast Show, and dug into what really happened in the Oscar Pistorious shooting in a programme that was the all-time highest rating documentary for BBC3.
Rick is an enthusiastic campaigner for young people getting involved in politics and exercising their right to be heard – hosting a live debate show, Free Speech, on BBC3, which he describes as “a young voter’s Question Time”.
He aims to have more shows with the leaders of the political parties ahead of the general election next year.
“I am writing a book at the moment which is about politics, trying to help people come to the decision about who to vote for. It will be out in March,” he reveals.
“Russell Brand’s recent book Revolution is more agenda-driven, very specific ideas of how he wants things to change.
“My book is more of an overview of politics at the moment.
“A lot of people would vote but don’t have the right information and it’s quite hard to find that information in plain English. I’m just trying to write short, simple chapters about the answers to the questions I get asked a lot by young people and just people generally about politics.
“It’s about 20 – 25 chapters, all about a different sort of aspect of politics, saying ‘well, this is how this works’. It’s a basic guide.”
Rick was recently involved in Parliament Week as an ambassador.
“I have met the Houses of Parliament public engagement team and had quite a lot to talk to them about how to get more young people to vote, which is my passion project.
“This year, Parliament Week was themed around young people getting involved in democracy and engaging in democracy. There were lots of events in the Houses of Parliament and across the country, all designed to promote democracy.
“It was brilliant. I gave a little talk and did a Q&A about a written constitution that’s currently being put together. It was really good fun and I think it had a really positive effect. “
As someone who is a firm believer in young people wanting to get on the career ladder, he also has words of wisdom for those who are just starting out.
“You can just do it nowadays. You can be very proactive and that’s the way.
“When I look back at stuff I used to write, it’s not as good.
“With presenting, you can just do it on your phone, upload it and see if people like it. If you’ve got a meeting with a TV company saying you want to be a presenter, you can show them that you are good by giving them examples of your work.
“When I was starting out I couldn’t really do that.”
