Tan France is a bit bleary eyed when I talk to him. Swigging a coffee, he explains he looks like he has been hit by a truck thanks to the melatonin (a natural sleep aid) he took the night before to try to be rested for the slightly gruelling day ahead. It’s 9:30am for him in New York, and he is on Netflix’s Next in Fashion season two press tour with his co-host and supermodel Gigi Hadid.
Obviously the impeccably groomed presenter, South Yorkshire-raised and of Pakistani heritage, who rose to stardom as Netflix’s smash hit Queer Eye’s fashion expert (six seasons and counting, plus a couple of global spin-offs), does not look like he’s been struck by a heavy goods vehicle. His sculpted grey quiff is complemented by a matching sweater vest and that trademark, but still disarming, warmth (he calls me “sweetheart”, with a grin) that has made him so loved across Queer Eye’s fanbase.
