Creating fashion that doesn’t cost the earth is the mission of The Northern School of Art’s BA (Hons) Fashion degree Lecturer Sarah Thomson.

Sarah, pictured below, who teaches part-time at the School’s university-level campus in Hartlepool alongside running a sustainable fashion business, TOM-O, is perfectly placed to using her fashion insights and experience to benefit students.

We caught up with her to find out more.

• Tell us more about projects you have you worked on and the clients that you have worked with

My fashion brand TOM-O saves clothing and textiles from landfill making them into something new people can wear and love forever. We also run workshops and have recently delivered sessions at Green Man Festival and Happy Place Festival. Our work was showcased at London Fashion Week in 2020, see photo at the top, and featured in Elle Magazine too!

We aim to continue creating fashion that is less harmful to our planet and work with our customers on bespoke orders. We have worked with Caroline Issa, Chief Executive and Fashion Director of Tank Magazine to upcycle her unworn items from her wardrobe and have also recently worked with Leeds Festival and their sustainability team on an exciting large-scale upcycle project.

• What are your ambitions for the School’s fashion degree course?

I’m very happy to have joined the School’s BA (Hons) Fashion degree course at such an exciting time – a new course, with new ideas, new modules and a brand new team behind it. I’m excited to be working alongside colleagues Caroline and Jess who have such impressive backgrounds themselves within the industry and we are working together to provide a contemporary, innovative and enjoyable degree which offers everything our students will need and more to enter the fashion world.

• Any tips for success for your students and anyone thinking of applying to the course?

The Northern School of Art is a friendly and welcoming institution where creativity is the heart of everything we do. Due to us being an art school we encourage all students to collaborate across the courses and have seen some incredible outcomes from collaborations with textiles, photography, film and also fine art.

We also offer smaller class sizing meaning we really get to know students and can help them go in whatever way the fashion world interests them; be that, design, garment construction, styling, communications, branding or something else! We’re here to channel our students’ creativity and work with them to get them ready for a future career in fashion.

Find out more about Sarah’s TOM-O business HERE

Further information about The Northern School of Art’s BA (Hons) Fashion degree course is available HERE