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.
As the Sewing Bee is one of our all-time favourite craft TV shows, we couldn't miss the opportunity to chat with Esme Young and find out how she became one of the most inspirational women in sewing.
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!
We talk to Esme Young about celebs she enjoyed dressing over the years on the silver screen (just don’t mention Leonardo DiCaprio’s shirt), where she gets her incredible necklaces and what she thinks of this year's Sewing Bee contestants and challenges.
But first we're going to do a little fact file about Esme so you know all about her background…
Who is 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.
On the Sewing Bee, Esme is best known for her love of bows (a guaranteed way to win her over!) and precise sewing.
In 2022, Esme released her autobiography, Behind the Seams, which gave an insight into her remarkable life (order your copy below).
How old is Esme Young?
Esme is 75 years old and was born in February 1949. She'll tell you all about her childhood and college days below so keep on reading to learn more about this incredibly talented woman.
Where is Esme Young from?
Esme was born in Bedfordshire, England and has been sewing since school. She now lives in London!
How tall is Esme Young?
Esme Young is 1.5m (5ft) tall and we can't quite believe so much talent, charisma and energy are contained within such a small frame! She's truly a pocket rocket and we love that her punk rocker style was never hindered by her height.
Now over to you Esme!
Read our interview with 2024 Sewing Bee judge Esme Young
Was there a celebratory atmosphere when you walked into the sewing room for the 10th series?
There definitely was – though it isn't the 10th series for me, it’s the seventh. I do think it's great Sewing Bee has gone on for 10 series and let's hope it goes on for another 10. I fully intend to be there in another 10 years… though I will be quite old.
Age doesn't stop Dame Prue on Bake Off…
How old is she?
84…
Oh, wow. No, it doesn’t stop her!
What's the standard of the sewers this year?
Well, always, the standard is good. I always go on about this, but what I absolutely love is how the sewers learn from each other. What often happens is one person stands out, but then – as the series goes on – it can change as people learn things. There are people who get better and better and better. I really like that. They inspire each other with what they're doing and become a real gang. They have a WhatsApp group. It's great.
And they come from quite varied backgrounds, don't they?
They have all sorts of jobs – there’s a retired research physicist, a DJ, a woodworker. Woodworkers are very good at sewing because it's a very similar thing. They’re good with their hands and with detail and at making stuff in 3D.
Were there heated discussions with fellow judge Patrick about who to send home?
Well, there always are. We have to have a really good conversation about it, but we never fall out. We always end up agreeing, but we’ll go through this, that and the other to get to the decision.
Do you have a tick list of things you want to see or things sewers have done wrong?
Well, I'm very good at finding a hole. LAUGHS If there’s a hole, I’ll spot it. For me, it's a combination of creativity and good sewing. The creativity is really important… part of that is to do with teaching and my background. All my life I've drawn and created. It's really important they bring their own vision to the room. The sewers are always very different. You can see from what they’re wearing. Everyone expresses themselves through what they wear. We all do. One of my brothers, Chris, wanted to be absolutely anonymous at work, so he’d wear absolutely anonymous clothes: no bright colours, nothing fashion. Now he's retired, he looks like Gandalf. It's absolutely hilarious. You should have seen his hair and beard!
How competitive were the sewers this year?
Well, they're always competitive, but they're never horrible to each other. They are competitive with themselves. Obviously, they want to win, but it's not a bloody fight to the death. Not at all. They help each other. The sewing has got better and better, so each year the challenges have to be a bit more difficult.
What weeks did you particularly enjoy this year?
Well, I liked Lingerie Week because I teach lingerie at college. I've got the most amazing collection of lingerie – modern day going back to the late-1800s. It's quite fascinating how lingerie creates the shape of a woman's body. Think of the 1950s, the 1930s, the 1920s. That week they had to turn shapewear and lace into a party outfit. The other week I really loved was Diva Week. They had to make a Tina Turner fringed dress for the pattern challenge. That look is so iconic. It was fringe beads. I was very worried they’d mess up, but they didn't. I was really impressed how well they did. The difficulty is sewing on the fringe – it has to be really precise and line up. And then, for the made-to-measure challenge, they had to make a stage outfit for a diva. I found it really interesting who they chose and what they did. Some really looked like the diva. Quite a few did Lady Gaga and there was a Beyoncé. Lady Gaga is never knowingly underdressed. And to dress a diva on stage, you have to make a big statement. That’s what we expected because you have to be able to see them from the audience. Some of them did really brilliantly. There was lots of impact. Lots of impact.
In past years, they’ve had to make surprising items such as trainers and rucksacks. This year, there was another first: gloves…
Oh, opera gloves. Gosh, yes. I was really worried about that... I mean, I can make gloves – I’ve got a glove pattern – but it is tricky. You can only use tiny, weeny seams. And it was a stretch fabric, which makes it even trickier. They’d never done that before. It’s really fiddly to sew and you've got gussets between the fingers and they've got to fit well – they can't be like webbed feet. And there should be no holes! There was also a Design Icons Week and one of the challenges was a dress inspired by Balenciaga – one of the most amazing designers there’s been. I've made a few dresses inspired by him, but in cotton and in corduroy. It can be very hard to construct stuff in that sculptural form. It seems simple, but you do have to be very good at sewing. There was a Jean Paul Gaultier transformation challenge, too. A very interesting designer.
They had to turn cricket whites into a White Show outfit. How did they fare with that?
They did well. My cousin's son, Will Young, played cricket for New Zealand, so that challenge really had meaning for me. They were using cricket trousers and jumpers and came up with some very good outfits.
How did India Week go?
Oh, it went well. The made-to-measure challenge was a dress inspired by a sari. Every season, I work with an ex-student of mine called Ashish [Gupta], who comes from India. I cut patterns for him. Every year, we do variations on the sari. Sari fabrics are extraordinary. They’re so beautiful. They had to make a Nehru jacket as well for the pattern challenge. That neckline can be quite tricky. At Swanky Modes, we used to buy a lot of Indian fabrics from Southall, and we’d go to Bradford to buy Indian fabric for collections. That brought back a lot of memories of my Swanky Modes days.
You've got a new host. Did you have fun with Kiell Smith-Bynoe?
Oh, we really had fun. He's such a nice bloke and really funny. We got on really, really well. But, you know, every presenter has been great. They have different personalities, but Claudia, Joe, Sara and now Kiell…have all been great. I still see Joe Lycett. We hang out a bit.
Do you still go for boozy nights out with him?
LAUGHS Yes. I went to Birmingham to see one of his shows and we did have a few drinks.
Was Kiell nervous?
He didn't seem to be, but then he’s an actor, so he's probably very clever at covering it up, don’t you think? He’s no stranger to the sewing room, of course. He did the celebrity special a couple of years ago and wasn’t so scarred by the experience that he didn’t want to set foot in the sewing room again. I’m sure it’s easier to be an observer. He’s definitely interested in clothes and I'm sure he learned from the sewers.
Did the three of you have some fun nights out after filming in Leeds?
Well, Kiell was working so hard and had so many things to do that we didn't really go out with him because he had to go back to London or somewhere else to film. He was juggling a lot of work at the same time. And, for me, if you're filming the next day, I don’t want to have a long night out…
Or a hangover the next day…
Yes. LAUGHS I'm very very careful about that. Very careful. I don't drink the night before we're filming. Definitely not. Patrick and I did go to a karaoke night. It was great fun.
Were you both singing?
I don’t sing because I sing so flat. It’s because I was a partially deaf child, so sound has always been quite tricky, though I do like music and a dance. Even reading… I read by recognising words not by sound.
Did you manage to explore Leeds and Yorkshire on your days off?
I did. I really love Leeds. I do a lot of walking there. My brother Chris came to stay and he's got a car – my mum’s old Austin that’s 30 years old and has moss growing on it and all sorts. It's hilarious. We went to various different places: Hebden Bridge, Haworth, Castle Howard. We also went to The Piece Hall in Halifax … a big, big square built in the late 1700s for the textile industry to store cloth. That was interesting. Oh, the countryside is amazing, absolutely amazing. It's just a fabulous patchwork of green. And I went to Salts Mill in Saltre – a former mill with art galleries. David Hockney’s got exhibitions there. The history of textiles, I just find so interesting and how, in Yorkshire, it was such a big deal.
When you joined Sewing Bee, did you imagine you'd still be doing the show seven years later?
I don't look far ahead. I'm one of those people who always says yes to things and takes a risk because I think: ‘Does it matter if it's a disaster? No.’ I’m not a worrier. I live in the moment and just grab opportunities.
What impact do you think Sewing Bee has had on the country?
It's had a big impact on people. I’m sure the show has encouraged people to recycle clothes and make things. Loads of people have bought sewing machines and taken up sewing. Sewing is really good for mental health: you’re creating things, you’re doing something 3D, you're learning… You know, everyone's on computers now, but – with sewing – you can feel the fabric and create something. You might put it on and say: ‘Well, I don't like that…’ but you've learned loads from making it and that’s just great. It’s a huge boost when you look at something and think: ‘I made that…’ It’s a real positive. A real positive.
It’s lovely to be involved with a show held so dear in people's hearts and which has changed lives…
Definitely. At events, I see how much the show has inspired people to make stuff and I get tagged in people’s photos on Instagram. There are so few fabric shops and haberdasheries compared to when I was young – which is a big shame – but a lot more have opened because of Sewing Bee. Long may it continue. In Leeds, there are quite a few fabric shops and there are sewing groups based out of some of those shops. In fact, near where we film, there’s a group where they teach sewing. It’s fantastic. I just feel it's so positive, sewing. Having that vision and seeing how it all fits together. Everybody should do it.
Everyone loves watching each week to see your necklaces. How many have you got?
Loads and loads. I bought these cabinets and they're absolutely stuffed. I can hardly open them. Then, there are things on the floor in one area in my bedroom. And there’s a display case we had at Swanky Modes that’s full of jewellery as well. I don't think I made anything new for this series. My sister Fiona made the necklace that looked like scourers last series – the pearls in it were from one of my mum's pearl necklaces. Obviously, not real pearls. My sister made that for me and she made another for me this series. A longer necklace that’s turquoise-y blue and knitted and different shapes. We’re all creative.
Fancy learning more about Esme Young?
Here's a mini bonus interview about her life and work!
We'd love to know which women have inspired you and your work
I went to a convent and, at the age of seven, a nun called Sister Mary was my form teacher and she encouraged my drawing. She was quite strict, but she gave really interesting lessons on the history of art. She was a very inspiring woman and a great teacher, and that’s when my interest in art began and designing followed later. As a teenager I did a lot of fashion drawing, inspired by reading fashion magazines. I made all my own clothes to go out in, buying clothes from charity shops and altering them.
When I went to St Martin’s College of Art, I became friends with Willie Walters and even ended up modelling for her. I helped her with her final collection at college. When we both left we decided to open a shop, Swanky Modes. We had such a great time at college, and I loved drawing and illustration, so that seemed the obvious way to go.
Tell us a bit more about Swanky Modes – was it as amazing as we're imagining?
I guess we were four women who couldn’t buy clothes we wanted to wear, so we started a shop together! It became popular because it was what other women wanted to wear too, but couldn’t get easily. When you're younger you have a confidence in what you believe in. We did amazing things, we even put on musicals and got all our friends involved. Thinking back I’m amazed at what we achieved. It was real fun, it was hard work, but never felt like it. All four of us had a shared vision and we had such a bond as friends, and still are friends today.
How and when did you first learn to sew?
I learnt at school when we did sewing, embroidery and knitting. I made a gathered skirt when I was seven – it was all hand sewn.
Where do you get your inspiration from? Is it hard to keep reinventing fashion?
I look back to at least 20 years in fashion to get inspiration. I wouldn’t want to look at last season and replicate that – you need a good space of time. It’s not copying it is reinventing, and I don’t find it difficult to come up with new styles. Anything can inspire you from any aspect of life – it could be from nature, architecture, art, anything really.
Would you use a commercial pattern?
No, I cut all my own patterns, rather than working from a commercial pattern. It is harder but it’s more rewarding and innovative.
Do you find sewing therapeutic?
Yes it’s calming and you are creating something at the same time. You are solving problems and you are slowing down and having to be imaginative. I think it works on a lot of levels as you have to focus on a project, and a change from sitting just looking at a screen.
How rewarding is your teaching work?
St Martin’s College is a great place to work, the students are so talented and not difficult to teach. It’s probably one of the only colleges in the world where it’s all about the students, and just trying to make the individual student’s vision happen.
I have been teaching via Microsoft, and it was hard to get used to at first and then became the new norm. It was particularly difficult when you are trying to show something 3D, so I rigged up a tripod that my phone could go in, so I could demonstrate the techniques. It’s not the same as being in a class but I guess we have to just do what we can do.
You’ve made so many costumes for films – do you have a favourite?
There have been many, but I’m probably most well known for making the bunny outfit in the first Bridget Jones film. It was a challenge because it had to stay up and Renee Zellweger had to act in it and wear it all day – and she could hardly sit down in it!
And which have been the most challenging?
Leonardo DiCaprio’s shirt in The Beach. The shape wasn’t difficult but the print was, and I had to make 10 shirts with identical prints for continuity. So each shirt – particularly the collar and the top half – all had to look the same.
Who have you enjoyed working with the most during your sewing career?
To tell you the truth, everyone I’ve worked with I’ve had a great relationship with. From costume designers to students we still remain friends. I’ve made great friends from Sewing Bee.
Is there anyone you haven’t collaborated with that you'd love to work with?
Actually, what I like doing is working with friends, and I like doing work outside of my comfort zone, so that’s why I said yes to the Sewing Bee. It’s good to stretch yourself sometimes. I never imagined that I would be offered a television presenting role, particularly at my age.
You’ve worked with so many famous faces over the years, is there one that stands out?
I can’t pick a favourite because every single actor I've worked with has been charming. I've never experienced a difficult celebrity! I did get shy when I met Dustin Hoffman. It was totally unexpected and I lost my voice momentarily, but I got over it of course.
We've been obsessed with your necklaces – where do you get them from?
All over the world – wherever I go I'll buy something. Quite a lot are vintage and are from markets; Ridley Road market in Dalston is very good for fabulous necklaces. It’s not to do with the value, it’s more to do with how they look and how I get attracted to them.
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 the same show 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/James Stack
