We catch up with judge Esme Young ahead of The Great British Sewing Bee's new 2025 series
As the Great British Sewing Bee returns for a new 2025 series, we couldn't miss the opportunity to chat with judge Esme Young about our all-time favourite sewing show.
Esme Young has enjoyed a sewing career spanning 50 years, but truly came to our attention when she took over as judge alongside Patrick Grant on the Great British Sewing Bee.
Her passion for unique stitching and design, as well as her drive to encourage beginners to get behind their sewing machines, sets her apart – and we're huge fans of her amazing style too!
Let's find out what Esme thought about the new series.
Read our interview with 2025 Sewing Bee judge Esme Young
How would you sum up the new series?
It was great. It's always great. The challenges Patrick and I have set for the sewers this year are really ambitious – things they have never done before – and, right from the start, everybody did incredibly well. There was so little between them, it was really difficult to judge. That happens more and more.
The person who eventually won was great, but we didn't know how it would all end up. You certainly couldn’t tell from the beginning who’d be there in the final. It was such a rollercoaster. It was often down to such a small margin, when it came to sending one home, that any of them, really, could have won in the end.
You've got some new themes this year. Tell us about 1920’s Week.
Well, they made plus fours in the pattern challenge and an outfit for a special event in the made-to-measure. The 1920s was quite interesting in that it was just rectangles if you see what I mean. There were no waists. With flapper dresses, there was much more freedom as they were a loose fit with a knee-length hem. I do find it interesting how, in different decades, the clothes changes.
At Swanky Modes in the 1970s, we went to buy secondhand clothes and there was a lot from the 1930s when they were more body conscious than the previous decade. They were cut on the bias and emphasised curves and that influenced us and what we were designing. In the 1920s, though, clothes were straighter. And a lot had beading. It's that Thoroughly Modern Millie look.
Korea Week was another new one…
Oh yes, that was great. It’s so interesting to make things from different cultures. There was a lot of pleats in the made-to-measure challenge. They had to make an outfit inspired by a Cheollik, a garment originally worn by men under an official military jacket with a pleated skirt. It can be difficult to make a skirt with a lot of pleating. Swanky Modes used pleats, but we'd get the fabric professionally pleated.
Art Week sounds fabulous…
Yes! The pattern challenge was to make a dress inspired by Grayson Perry.. I know Grayson and I think he’s going to like being the inspiration for a challenge.
What about your outfits this year? We can’t wait to see them…
In the opening episode, I wore a dress I'd made from fabric printed by one of my ex-students, a Japanese designer called Wataru Tominaga. I’ve got quite a few former Japanese students, actually. I went to Japan last Easter with my brother and they took us out to supper.
The fabric was a dark blue and green tartan pressed with pleats and printed over the top with bright orange, green and blue panels, so when you moved you could see the original fabric on the inside. It was really clever. I also wore a pair of Adidas trainers I bought in New York and all the sewers were going: ‘Oh, where did you get those from?’ They’re orange, black and blue with net over the top. They are very bright, too.
Sewing Bee inspires so many people to sew – first-timers and returners…
It's brilliant that’s happening because children aren't taught sewing at school now like I was. And, you know, not everybody's brain is the same. A lot of people are very creative and good with their hands, but less good at maths or science.
What are you up to outside of Sewing Bee?
Well, I'm teaching at the moment at Central Saint Martins. I haven't worked on films for a while because Sewing Bee takes up a lot of my time, but I do enjoy it. I love filming the series in Leeds. It's a great city to spend some time and it’s a sort of spiritual home for textiles – there are lot of old mills there. The area where the mosque is has quite a few shops with fabrics and things from Pakistan. I can't help myself, so I come back with an armful. Colourful fabrics with little bits of embroidery catch my eye. I have to come up with new things to make now. You might see them on another series of Sewing Bee.
Learn more about Esme Young
Esme Young is a renowned fashion designer who has worked with a whole host of celebrities in the course of her long career. She was one of the creators of the iconic Amorphous Dress, which was a popular garment to wear to nightclubs in the 1980s.
Esme first took an interest in art and design at the age of seven and says she was encouraged by her form teacher, Sister Mary.
As a teenager, she continued to draw and became interested in fashion designing. Inspired by fashion magazines, she began buying clothes from charity shops and altered them to suit her own unique style. She went on to attend the prestigious St Martin's College of Art in London.
She teamed up with her friends to launch a fashion brand, Swanky Modes, in the 1970s. They couldn't find the kind of clothes that they wanted to wear in the shops, so they decided to make their own. The London-based brand soon became popular and their dresses were worn by the likes of Grace Jones and Cher.
In the course of her career, she's worked with a variety of celebrities. Esme designed Renee Zellweger's iconic bunny girl outfit for Bridget Jones and created the Hawaiian shirts worn by Leonardo DiCaprio in The Beach. She had to sew 10 identical shirts for Leo to wear in the film for continuity, which she found very challenging!
In addition to her appearances on the Sewing Bee, Esme is currently a lecturer at Central St Martin's College. In 2022, Esme released her autobiography, Behind the Seams, which gave an insight into her remarkable life (order your copy below).
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Why Esme Young is a brilliant Sewing Bee judge
Esme has decades of experience in the fashion industry and is able to scrutinise the competition with an expert eye. However, Esme's teaching background gives her a real insight into the struggles of the contestants.
She's created some of the most iconic looks in British fashion and the sewers are guaranteed to learn a lot from her!
Meet Sewing Bee judge Patrick Grant
Esme and Patrick are the dream team that makes the Sewing Bee work. They get along famously and it wouldn't be one of our favourite craft TV shows without them sharing praise and feedback with the contestants.
Like Esme, Patrick also has decades of experience in the world of fashion and knows quality sewing when he sees it! Get to know Patrick Grant with Gathered's in-depth guide.
First image courtesy of BBC/Love Productions/Neil Sherwood
