- Look Good
- 11th Sep 2026
- 0
- 0 minute
Great North Run inspires South Shields Drag Race star’s bib number dress
A South Shields drag queen who starred on RuPaul’s Drag Race UK is paying tribute to the Great North Run with a dress made entirely from runners’ bib numbers.
Sally Trademark, also known as Sally TM, is putting the finishing touches to the look ahead of the world’s largest half-marathon, and she’ll debut it before the 45th run.
A HOMETOWN TRIBUTE, AGAIN
The 29-year-old is once again dedicating a design to her beloved hometown, after she showcased a Metro-themed catwalk look in front of RuPaul and Michelle Visage on the Drag Race UK runway last year. This time, she’s turning her attention to the race that finishes just down the road from where she lives.
“I am so proud of where I come from, and I’m always looking for ways that I can showcase the North East,” Sally says. “And how better than with the Great North Run, which finishes just down the road from where I live.”
FROM BIB TO CATWALK
The dress is being built from hand-designed numbers based on real Great North Run bibs from years gone by. Each design is turned into ethically-printed fabric, then starched and manipulated to mimic the texture of paper, a process Sally admits is proving trickier than expected. She’s also reusing and reviving old textiles to make up the base of the dress, adding another layer of challenge to an already ambitious build.
“When I did the hometown look for Drag Race UK, I ended up going with the Metro dress, but I had so many other ideas, and this is one that has lived in my head for quite a long time now,” she says.
Sally, who picked up a Ru-Peter badge on the show for her design work, is doing every bit of it herself.
“I hate the use of AI, and I am really trying to reduce on wasted fabrics too, so everything in the dress has been graphically designed, sketched out and created by me. I’ve got my materials together, I’m now just trying to get it all completed on time, as it is actually quite a hard fabric to work with, so the pressure is on.”
THRIVING UNDER PRESSURE
Sally, who is also an advocate for Diabetes UK, says she works best against the clock, and has no doubts the dress will be finished in time for race day.
HOW FASHION LED TO DRAG
Looking back on her route into the drag scene, Sally traces it all to textiles. She first picked up the craft aged 12, but it was fashion that became her way in.
“It really is limitless, and I really enjoyed the idea of becoming a piece of art,” she says. “When I was younger, I struggled to find hobbies and interests because of the objectivity that comes with it, but with drag there is always a new challenge to explore.”
She’s keen to use her platform to put the North East’s drag scene on the map, too.
“Although there is a great drag scene in the North East, it’s not something that you tend to see a lot of compared to down in London, so I guess this is my little project to represent our heritage while also celebrating our queer culture here too,” she says. “My drag style is a little different, it’s quite kooky. I try to take inspiration from all different places like architecture and art rather than just looking at outfits on face value, but I also love to do daft fun stuff too.”
A HISTORY OF SHOWSTOPPERS
The Great North Run dress joins a growing list of Sally’s transformations, which have included a pinata, a teddy bear and a 3D paper model of Napoleon, proof that no concept is too strange for her to attempt.
BACKING THE NEXT GENERATION
Sally’s also cheering on her drag daughter, The Delta Quadrant, from Darlington, who’s taking part in the new series of Drag Race UK airing later this week. She’ll be documenting the whole Great North Run dress-making process in a video diary across her socials.
Rachael Ellis
Head of Content
After gaining a first in her BA Media and Journalism degree at Northumbria University, Rachael worked at Newcastle’s leading regional newspaper with her stories being picked up in national and global newspapers. She spent two very successful years giving a voice to those communities across the North East who otherwise…
Subscribe
Subscribe now to receive our twice-weekly emails and exclusive offers for High Life North readers.