Edge interview
Fashioned with purpose The vision for Jo Tutchener Sharp’s fashion brand, Scamp & Dude, came while she was recovering from major surgery. Ten years on, that vision still holds true – and it’s the secret of her success Writing Martin Bewick
C
larity. While talking with Jo Tutchener Sharp, founder of fashion brand Scamp & Dude, it becomes… well, ‘clear’, that one of the secrets of her success is the clarity of her vision for her business. Her story, and the story of Scamp & Dude – which she has told many times before – is clear, certain, purposeful, unshakeable. Why aren’t all business back-stories so straightforward, so simple, so clear? Clarity is a thing. A good thing. Ten years into the journey, Scamp & Dude’s origins remain the true heart of its brand, and are intertwined with the life story of Tutchener Sharp, who was made an OBE in the New Year Honours List for 2026. Yet she and the company have come a long way. In 2016, Tutchener Sharp was in a hospital bed, having undergone brain surgery. She missed her little boys. She wished she could have given them a little something to watch over them while they were apart – a superhero toy they could snuggle up with, perhaps. The thought inspired her to create Superhero Sleep Buddies, soft toys that could bring comfort to children who have to be apart from their loved ones. Then she had another thought: what if, for every Superhero Sleep Buddy sold, another could be donated to a child who had lost a parent or was seriously ill themselves? Once she left hospital, Tutchener Sharp got to work. The Sleep Buddies weren’t the end of her
30
ideas, however. Next came a kids’ clothing line with a lightning-bolt Superpower Button to give kids confidence and strength when apart from their loved ones. Then came a move into womenswear, with a range of Super Scarves that built on the original sense of purpose: for every Super Scarf sold, another would be donated to a woman with cancer. The goal was simple: ‘To wrap every woman starting chemotherapy in comfort and warmth – like a blanket with superpowers.’ What followed was real-world impact. To date, more than 85,000 scarves have been donated to women starting chemotherapy. More than 10,000 Superhero Sleep Buddies have been donated to children. In total, Scamp & Dude has donated more than £4m in cash and products in its first 10 years. At the same time, the company has also gained B Corp certification.
Back to the beginning
Not everyone recovering in hospital after an operation decides to launch a business. For Tutchener Sharp, however, the life-saving surgery proved to be life-changing in a number of ways. “The experience gave me a new fire in my belly, a need to grab life with both hands and just go for it. It made me have no fears. Would I have had the guts to start a fashion brand before that? At that point, when I’d thought my life was at its end, I realised I could do anything. I asked myself,