AN 82-year-old tailor in Bradford says he is busier than ever after coming out of retirement. Ray Lister has swapped retirement for making suits at IK Collections shop in Westgate, where he works every Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. Since he returned to work, Mr Lister has helped make suits for the late Captain Sir Tom Moore and entertainer John Barrowman, who wore his for the final of this year s Dancing on Ice, live on ITV. Mr Lister was initially persuaded to come out of retirement by Imran Khan, owner of IK Collections. After leaving school and doing his national service and a spell working in Leeds and Nottingham, Mr Lister moved to Bradford and had his own shop in the city.
And other stories from the stranger side of life
by The Week team
7 May 2021
A farmer in Belgium has inadvertently redrawn the country’s border with France. The man was annoyed to find a large rock in his tractor’s path and moved it inside French territory. Later, a local historian was walking in the forest when he noticed the rock, which marks the boundary between the two countries, had moved 2.29m. “We should be able to avoid a new border war,” said the mayor of the adjoining French village, Aurélie Welonek.
Woman gives birth to nine babies
A woman from Mali who was expecting seven babies has actually given birth to nine. Halima Cisse delivered the nonuplets - five girls and four boys - at a hospital in Morocco. She and the newborns are said to be “doing well”. Two sets of nonuplets have been recorded in the past - one born to a woman in Australia in 1971 and another to a woman in Malaysia in 1999 - but none of those babies survived.
ITV News Correspondent Lucy Watson meets Bradford s legendary tailor
Bradford s Ray Lister is a tailor in demand.
At 82-years-old he had already retired, having started the trade at just 15 and run his own business for 60 years, but now he s back. I said I d come in for a day - and then it led to Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. And I don t know where it s going to lead to now, he told ITV News.
He s tailored for boxing stars, political stalwarts, and national treasures - and he s showing no signs of downing his tools anytime soon.
A BRADFORD tailor is offering residents the chance to show off their own clothes making skills in a new competition. Imran Khan, of IK Collections based in Westgate, has launched the competition for budding clothes designers who may have been honing their skills during lockdown. The winner will receive an outfit made by Mr Khan’s company worth up to £2,000. Mr Khan will be joined on the judging panel by Ray Lister and Sophie Brush. Mr Lister has been in the tailoring business for more than 60 years. He sold his business 15 years ago, but came out of retirement two years ago to continue to work in the industry in Bradford.