I like things to be stable. I’ve had a stable relationship with my wife Gerardine for 34 years, and I think that I like things uncomplicated. Having four kids has made me happy too. Being close to them, seeing their progress in life, seeing them getting boyfriends or girlfriends, that’s good.
Gerardine and I have never planned anything. Our careers have made us happy; it’s been an adventure. Just the fact that we have a career that is useful and stimulating, that is always changing – I suppose we get our stimulation from this. Our lives are so full.
We do work really hard. To an extent I think we’ve been lucky, and to some extent you make your own luck. The way we started out was really lucky, for example – we were broke and we needed to pay the rent, so we emptied out our wardrobes and took them down to Camden Lock. That first weekend we made £300, and we realised that we could make a living out of this. That was the first step towards the business that became Red or Dead. If we hadn’t been broke that might never have happened, so there was definitely an element of luck there.
Having money certainly gives you peace of mind. I grew up in a single-parent family and I know what it’s like to worry about money. I remember how carefully my mum would work out her shopping list to make sure she had enough. I grew up wearing secondhand clothes, and Gerardine made her own clothes, just like her sisters. We both understand thrift and sustainability, because of the way we’ve been brought up.
When we sold Red or Dead in 1995 we had a bit of time to ourselves for the first time. I only spend two or three days a week in London now; I like to get home to West Sussex and down to the beach. You’d have to be a miserable sod not to be happy with that at your feet.
Running makes me happy too. I’ve just been for a run along the beach with the dog. I ran my first marathon when I was 18 and I run now as often as I can. The only time I’m down is when I’m injured.
A year ago my mum was diagnosed with lung cancer. Even now, though, she’s positive and happy. Perhaps it’s just her nature. When things go wrong, some people seem to just curl up into a ball but that’s not the way we handle things. I think family is the strongest thing you can have. We’re better in a group.
What was a truly happy moment in my life? Of course when the children were born: the agony and the ecstasy. One moment you’re watching your wife in agony, the next this person pops out. Another time that comes to mind was when Blackburn Rovers won the Premiership. It’s true! I remember we were all sat in front of the TV and when they won we were leaping aroud and dancing with joy. I’ve won all sorts of awards, I’ve had so many good things happen to me, but I don’t remember ever feeling quite like that. It was complete unbridled happiness.
After selling their Red or Dead fashion label in the 90s, Wayne Hemingway and his wife founded HemingwayDesign to focus on affordable and social design. Interview by Bibi van der Zee
