Sally-Anne Thompson
Sally-Anne Thompson trained in Theatre, Wardrobe and Costume History at Liverpool Art School and went on to work at The Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester.
She has interpreted designs for a wide variety of stage productions – both period and modern, involving sourcing fabrics, toiling and flat pattern making, constructing garments and fitting actors. Sometimes the clothing would need to look worn so fabrics were dyed, manipulated and changed to look realistic and authentic for each character.
Her skills span prop making – wigs, hats and masks and also accessories. This is where her love of working with leather really began. First leather gaiters for a production of Tartuffe, next an eighteenth-century waistcoat with embossing, bound buttonholes and lacing.
Thompson continued to make leather items on a freelance basis, until one afternoon looking around The Bluecoat Display Centre, the Director noticed her bag and asked if she would consider making a collection for them. Fifteen years later, Thompson’s career has shifted its focus to crafting leather goods for galleries, her online platforms and at shows such as the Selvedge Makers' Fair Bath on Saturday 21 September 2024.
Read more about Sally-Anne Thompson in our interview with her: Five Minutes with a Friend.
Follow Sally-Anne Thompson:
@handmadeleatherbags