Menswear expert Jim Chapman: 'AI lacks the sense of impending doom that keeps me motivated'

Need New Year’s Eve party outfit inspiration? Ask Jim Chapman. The converted Oasis fan is one of the UK’s foremost fashion and lifestyle influencers, with an online audience of 7.5 million tuning in to his videos on men’s style and grooming. He released his first book, 147 Things, in 2017, and has a new one coming out next year. He lives in the Cotswolds with his wife and two children.

Chapman has had a pretty big year, both professionally and personally. Big Issue caught up with him to ask him some big questions about life.

What has been your standout moment of 2025? 

A really small moment, something I just happened to overhear. When I dropped my daughter off at pre-school, she told her teacher “I just love my daddy so much!” She tells me she loves me all the time but to hear her talk about me like that with no prompting, simply because that was how she felt, was very special. 

What do you know about yourself now that you didn’t this time last year? 

Gratitude… and DIY! I love an adventure, but I think I often fall into a default of ‘what next’ – always looking for the next thing to make or problem to solve and never pausing to admire the view. We moved out of London to the Cotswolds this year, to a real fixer-upper (I’m talking, no roof, faulty wiring, bad plumbing, asbestos, mushroom-damp…) and although the project is a lot to chew, my children are thriving in this new life, I have new purpose and the view is quite remarkable. I’m full to the brim with gratitude. 

What do you think the world got wrong this year?  

I feel like we’ve all been so distracted by the political landscape, that we have forgotten about the climate crisis. We won’t have any government if planet earth kicks us off for not showing her the respect she deserves. 

Did you see Oasis? 

Yes! And I liked it so much more than I thought I would. I was young in the 90s, but my sister was the prime age for Oasis, and she listened to them religiously. I was surprised by how much of the music I knew simply because I was around her 30 years ago. It was super nostalgic. 

Would you rather be a Traitor or a Faithful? 

I think I would be shocking at it, but being a Traitor sounds like more of an interesting experience. You have to employ a more Machiavellian skill set than the Faithful’s, who are more along the lines of detectives. 

Where were you when you found out Taylor Swift was engaged? 

On the train.  

Do you think your job is at risk from AI? 

AI is already doing my job better than me, but what it lacks is the sense of impending doom that keeps me motivated! Also, I question the point of AI in my specific sector. I have always maintained that my job is about connecting with people, and a big part of connection is the feeling of being seen or understood. If a computer does it, then an audience is connecting to an artifice that can’t understand beyond an algorithm.

What would your browsing history say about you this year?

Just buy a car and stop worrying about it! Since moving out of London, I am travelling back and forth a lot – I did buy a car, but it broke down after two journeys and now I’m too scared to commit for fear of history repeating.

What is the oddest family Christmas tradition you keep?

I think this oddest thing about my family is that we literally have none! We just turn up, eat, drink, do gifts, and have fun. We do have a family quiz that I don’t think we’ve ever finished because nobody listens, haha!

Are you more or less hopeful than at the start of 2025?

More, for sure! I know it can feel bleak out there right now, but there is so much to be hopeful for. On a personal note, it’s working with a new team who are totally on board, making progress on a few projects that seem to be heading in the right direction, settling into our new house, and watching my children be adventurers.

What one thing are you looking forward to in 2026?

Seeing my illustrations on an actual page, in an actual book (that I have written!).

What’s your big idea to make 2026 better than 2025? 

I would love to see more acceptance of people’s differences. Better still, encouragement! We wouldn’t have music, art, progress in science, sport, or even business. Without difference, we stagnate. 

Keep up to date with Jim Chapman on his socials and his YouTube channel.

Do you have a story to tell or opinions to share about this? Get in touch and tell us more. 

Change a vendor’s life this Christmas.

Buy from your local Big Issue vendor every week – or support online with a vendor support kit or a subscription – and help people work their way out of poverty with dignity.