Sharon Bell
Sharon predominantly teaches and leads on L5 – Textiles in Contemporary practice, Professional Pathways and Entrepreneurship and design. L4 Client and Colour Modules.
Sharon graduated specialising in knitwear and achieved a first-class honours degree in Textile design. She was a winner of the RSA student awards winning the Worshipful Company of Weavers Award. Her collections of scarves were developed into commercially viable products and sold into Liberty of London. Sharon then pursued an MA in Fashion and Textiles, research focused on knitting technology and she won a Bursary from the Worshipful Company of Framework Knitters for her research study proposal.
Sharon has over 20 years experience in the fashion and textile industry and a thorough understanding of international clothing product development and retail. She has gained an in-depth knowledge of working with multiple retailers including M&S, Monsoon, Next, Jaeger, East, Boden and Hackett. Her career as a designer progressed to Design Executive for a large global apparel business whose head office was based in Hong Kong. She managed a team of designers with overall responsibility for design and development in the UK for knitwear.
Sharon brings her experience of the complex global fashion business and an understanding of the pressures of fashion and textile students to gain relevant work experience, to the teaching environment, bring in insights and contacts within the industry to strengthen employability.
She is a longstanding Committee Member of the Society of Dyers and Colourists (SDC).