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Alex Askaroff
I was born in the latter half of the 1950's in the busy bomb-blitzed seaside town of Eastbourne on the South Coast of England. Rubble still lay in places from the 11,000 or so buildings damaged by ...view moreI was born in the latter half of the 1950's in the busy bomb-blitzed seaside town of Eastbourne on the South Coast of England. Rubble still lay in places from the 11,000 or so buildings damaged by German planes.
I grew up in the manufacturing trade surrounded by sewing machines. My mother was a skilled Viennese seamstress with a wonderful design ability. She invented and patented such things as the Raincape that simply pulled over a pushchair to keep the baby dry in the rain and the Top‘n’Tail, a changing-mat that baby could not roll off, with pouches at the bottom for such as talc and nappy-rash cream.
My dad was born in Moscow on the first official day of the Russian revolution in October 1917, not a good start. His life seemed to be dramatic from then on. He was smuggled out of the country as a child. Some 30 years later, and you’d think two lifetimes of experiences, by his tales, he settled in the quaint seaside tourist resort of Eastbourne and started a manufacturing company called Simplantex. It grew to the largest of its kind in Europe and it was here that I learnt my trade that eventually led to me becoming a Master Craftsman.
The stair-well walls leading to the offices at the factory were lined with patent documents for many great ideas. Ideas that were produced in their thousands every week and went to the four corners of the world—from New Zealand to Iceland. We were supplying film stars and royalty alike. Harrods would place special orders for special people and even more special babies. It was a real thrill to see Princess Diana carrying our future King in one of our hand made Palm Leaf Moses baskets.
For over 30 years the names Simplantex and Premiere Baby were synonymous with the best you could buy for your baby. We would see babies wrapped in our products being carried around by the rich and famous and on television. With the rights to such toys and fabrics as Paddington Bear and Beatrix Potter almost no home was without our merchandise.
My fascination with Singer started early as I had inherited the fingers of my forefathers who were watchmakers and I adored the complex mechanisms that made sewing machines work. I studied engineering at college and went to work on the factory floor. Many specialists trained me in the art of sewing machine repair and in their teachings was always Isaac Singer.
As I wrote books about my work around the South East of England I started to piece together the intricate tale of Isaac and in my 10th book I bring him back from the dead, a forgotten giant who shaped the world in which we now live.view less