We ask Geoff Quinn, T.M.Lewin's CEO, how he got to where he is today and about his favourite aspect of the job.

What was your first job?
I was a baler boy at Woolworths when I was 14 – I was too young to work on the shop floor, so I collected the cardboard out the back to put in the baling machine.

Actually I started working even younger than that on market stalls, washing the paint pads after the trader did demos. I went on to be a Saturday boy at Woolworths and after a test to see that I could add up I was allowed to use the till.

I then got a job in local Menswear shop in Ramsgate which was brilliant as the owner lived around the corner and he gave me a lift to work in his Rolls Royce usually eating toast his wife had made for me (I was very thin and she was trying to feed me up).  When I left school I worked there full time.

What’s the best part of your job?
The excitement I get out of it all and the variety of every day. Today I’m talking about blogs and videos, tomorrow about Singapore stores… I’m constantly trying to push the boundaries of what we do and you can have so much fun exploring new opportunities. I never get bored because there are so many different areas of the business still to explore and develop!

What advice would you give to someone wanting to start in the shirt business?
Work really hard! It sounds obvious but if you work hard, you’ll get noticed. Everyone is looking to be noticed and the only way is to keep your head down and do a good job. If you do something really well, you’ll be asked to have a go at something else and progress from there. I’ve always worked really hard.

Apart from T.M.Lewin what other designer/retailer do you admire the most?
I love Paul Smith. I love the concept and the way it consistently delivers style. There are always twists and turns in what they show you and they’re always evolving and of the moment like Apple. There’s always something coming out that’s new – they’ve got their finger on the pulse!

What do you do when you’re not working?
I’m very good at switching off when I’m not at work and I spend that time focussing on my family. My kids are older now, the youngest is 18, but it’s still about meeting up and going out together.

Recently I have become a Enterprise Fellow with the Prince's Trust and I have enjoyed talking to and mentoring some of the young people that the Princes Trust helps. Most people just need encouragement the Trust offers a lot more with expert help.

What would you be if you weren’t MD at T.M.Lewin?
I’ve been here 29 years now, nearly all my working life, so that’s a really hard question to answer. I really can’t imagine anything else being as much fun!

What is your proudest achievement?
I am not sure if this counts but I came to London when I was 18 and had a great interview for a salesman job with the owner of Woodhouse in Oxford Street, at the end of the interview I turned down the job and said "I would come back in a years time when I would be older and more experienced and you will be able to pay the salary I need to live in London". The next day I got a phone call saying I was a cheeky bugger but he liked me and I started work there a month later.

I don’t think I’ve had one yet – I think it’s still to come. I always feel there’s more out there that could be done. I’m very proud of the business and of how far we come, but I still feel we’re only at the beginning of where we could be!

What are your favourite items from the current T.M.Lewin collection?
My favourite thing is our 2-button suit range. The cut and fit for me is great because I’m a half size, 39", and traditionally it’s always been really hard for me to buy a suit that fits right as I had to wear a 38" suit which were always a bit too small, but better than wearing a 40" which would be too big. Now I can get suits that fit perfectly!

What’s your worst ever fashion mistake?
At the time, I thought I was really cool. It was 1976 and I wore clothes by a designer called Wendy Dagsworthy, including a long green mohair coat with tartan check trimming and matching tartan trousers. Bear in mind I was wearing this out in Margate, not London, so it was fairly adventurous!

What was the last fashion item you purchased?
I was in Paul Smith the other day and bought some trousers and some knitwear.