Fashion stylist, broadcaster and national treasure Gok Wan — the man who taught a generation to love what they see in the mirror — joins Scott & Jamie to share the three stories that shaped who he became, spanning identity, belonging and the power of how we present ourselves to the world.
Stories Discussed
Story 1: Prick Up Your Ears — John Lahr
Type: Biography. The life of playwright Joe Orton — a book Gok found on his sister's shelf as a teenager in Leicester, at a time when he was coming out in a world that didn't feel safe. It was the first time he saw a gay man's story told with freedom rather than tragedy.
Story 2: Beautiful Thing — Jonathan Harvey
Type: Play. A love story set on a council estate that Gok first saw as a college student and read over and over during his recovery from an eating disorder. He took it as his Mastermind subject.
Story 3: Bedtime Stories — Viktor & Rolf (Autumn/Winter 2005)
Type: Fashion collection. Not a book but a catwalk show — Viktor & Rolf's collection exploring intimacy through clothing, with models walking in sculptural bedding. For Gok, it crystallised what fashion really is: a way of telling people a million things about who you are without saying a single word.