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Jo Tutchener-Sharp
Interview Phadria Prendergast
Scamp & Dude Hard times separate those who are leaders from those who are not, and this is certainly true of Scamp & Dude founder Jo Tutchener-Sharp. Amid a time where the fashion industry as we know it is changing by the day and with many retailers, designers and brands focusing more on their consumers and even more so on giving back, it’s not a new concept to Tutchener-Sharp whose key reason behind starting the brand was simply to help people.
After a face spasm led to the discovery of a lump and a bleed on her brain, the multi award-winning founder began re-thinking everything her life had meant up until that point. “When I was facing brain surgery and the fact that my life might be about to end, I found myself at the golden gates asking if I was proud of how I’d lived my life, and whether I had done enough good. I decided that running a PR agency had been a lot of fun, but I had definitely not helped enough people and made a difference, so I made a promise to myself that if I made it through surgery, I would do more good and help more people. I came up with the idea behind the Superhero Sleep Buddies when missing my kids in hospital and wishing I could have given them a Superhero to watch over them while we were apart. The Superhero Sleep Buddies are cuddly toy Superheroes which have a pocket on the back to hold a photograph of whomever the child wants to hold close.” For every Superhero Sleep Buddies cuddly toy that is sold, Scamp & Dude donate one to every child who has lost a parent or is seriously ill themselves and have given away over 1500 to date. Additionally, for every Super Scarf that the unisex children wear and adult wear brand sells, a scarf is donated to women in need. “This may be a woman with cancer or a mother of a very sick child, but we want to make sure that women having a really hard time know that we’ve got their back. We have donated over 1,000 Super Scarves so far. We have also raised over 75k through our Swag Bags with Purpose campaign. Our Swag Bags are colourful multi use zipper bags and we collaborate with well-known people like Jess Ennis, Stacey Solomon and Lauren Laverne to design their own Swag Bag with all of the profits going to a charity of their choice.” Additionally, at the beginning of the Coronavirus pandemic, 440 superpower infused sweatshirts were contributed to frontline NHS workers at UCLH and Kings by the Scamp & Dude. Jo Tutchener-Sharp is clearly no stranger to giving back.
Jo believes the future of kids wears, and womenswear is one that should be fun. “I think the clothes you wear should make you smile, and I think brands need to be about more than just making money, they need to stand for something. As a consumer, I want to spend my money with brands who are making a difference. Sustainability is so important. We use organic cotton for our clothes, and our bags are made from recycled plastic bottles. I also think brand purpose and giving back is important too.”
Scamp & Dude Tutchener-Sharp, who always uses Instagram to recruit her team, only has a total of eight people that make Scamp & Dude happen. “Our community on Instagram is really strong. They are all part of the Scamp & Dude journey and are there because they love the brand, so they are the people I want in my team.” Jo’s team of eight all work remotely as she strongly supports flexible working and believes she’s able to hire great talent by allowing them to work from home. “My marketing manager is ex-marketing manager for Topshop and is based in Wolverhampton. My customer service manager is based in Manchester. In this day and age with technology, as it is, it doesn’t matter where people are based, and I think the idea of us all sitting next to each other in an office is actually really outdated.” Tutchener-Sharp believes her team would describe her as the kind of leader who is a perfectionist and because of this, people may find it tricky to work with her at times. “I don’t think you can run a successful business if you aren’t a perfectionist, as the small details matter so much,” she states.
The best piece of advice the Scamp & Dude owner has been given during her time in PR is to never assume. “This is so important and makes you stop and check before moving forward. I am forever quoting this to my team.” Jo initially went into PR after her dad had suggested it might be a good fit for her. At the time, she was looking at university courses and had no idea what she wanted to do. “I trusted my dad’s judgement and thought PR sounded quite interesting, so teamed it with my other love - fashion, and went to study fashion promotion at university.” Jo reveals the best thing about working in PR is the network it gives you. Being a very social person, her 20-year span in the industry awarded her with a rather large network. “Your network is so important in life and really helped when launching Scamp & Dude.” According to Tutchener-Sharp, the best way to get into PR is to intern at agencies or in-house departments. “Choose carefully and only go and work for brands you are passionate about. Start at the bottom and work hard, be friendly to everyone and give people your time and support. Relationships are a two-way thing and it is always important to think how you can help other people rather than expecting them to help.”
As we rounded up the interview, Jo kindly shared with us, hers and her family’s favourite Scamp & Dude pieces. “Sonny loves our towelling summer tracksuits because they are so soft and comfortable, and Jude loves the new camo tracksuit.” Jo has four favourites; the pink and red leopard and lightning bolt sweatshirt, the pink and neon pink leopard and lightning bolt hoodie, the grey and black leopard tracksuit and the new neon pink leather cross body bag. “I was able to design my dream bag, and it’s about to launch! I pinch myself daily that I get to design my dream products every day! I feel very lucky to have been given a second chance at life, to still be here for my children and to be running a brand that fulfils me creatively, but that also helps so many people along the way.”
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