“I was completely in awe of what my cousin and Rare School of Fashion and Art co-founder, Lindsay Inglesby, had achieved with our sister performing arts school Rare Studio. Her endless passion for the school was completely infectious and the impact she was having on young performing artists in the local community was so inspiring. When Lindsay came to New York to visit me, I took her to my local breakfast hangout in Tribeca and the idea for Rare School of Fashion & Art was born. We both got the chills and couldn’t finish our breakfast but we both knew we were giving birth to something unique and very special.

 

This is the course that I dreamt about doing prior to my degree! Why? Because it blends exactly the right balance of art and commerce.  We are able to provide students with a career and education pathway perfectly adapted to the forever-evolving nature of the fashion industry. It was also very important to me personally that students had access to this in the North of the UK and specifically Liverpool. After all, this is the place I was born and raised.

 

I have been fortunate enough to have an amazing career in the fashion industry and have worked for many great fashion brands across the globe, from NYC to Italy. I currently live and work in Los Angeles and I have spent the last several years working with actress and CEO Gwyneth Paltrow overseeing the merchandising functions of the Goop brand. I was inducted into the Council of Fashion Designers of America in 2011 which was the most prestigious honour of my career. I draw inspiration from everything and everywhere - art, culture and music - and I have had the pleasure of designing for many celebrities including Britney Spears, Hilary Swank, Jennifer Aniston, Angelina Jolie, Taylor Swift, Ciara, Emma Stone, Alexa Chung and many others.

 

The insight and knowledge I have gained over the years is fully integrated into this course and I try to use the leverage of my full network whenever I can. We are so happy to see our students move on to some of the top fashion institutions in the country and I am extremely proud of each and every one of them. I am also very honoured to work alongside the dynamic staff we have in place who have a prolific understanding of each student’s creative journey and career pathway. The Rare School of Fashion & Art is not just a school - it’s a community of talented individuals who are paving the way forward and reimagining the fashion & art world for the future. Come and join the Rare movement with us!”

 

Shaun XO

 

As Coco Chanel once said, “Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street. Fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening.”