Joined in 2023 
82 
63 About this deal
Young dove into a creative world in London with a lot of ideas but very little money. “We were part of a very vibrant and creative community,” she says. “We knew artists and we knew musicians.” Friends helped Swanky Modes put on their fashion shows for free. “It was amazing. I did find it special. We couldn’t have done it without people doing it for nothing.” She recognises how different the London of her youth is to the London of today. “I think it’s so difficult now for creative young people in London. We squatted, we could afford to have a shop, there was a real creative community. Now, it’s not the same at all.” At age five, Esme was asked to write in her notebook, but instead, she filled it with drawings - the only way she knew to express herself. At seven, when it was discovered she was partially deaf, she found refuge in her sketchbooks. Shortly after, Esme made her first garment and a passion for sewing and designing was born. As a teenager, she made her way to London where her creative journey truly began. In her free time, Esme teaches Innovative Pattern Cutting for graduates and professionals students at Central Saint Martin’s College. Esme uses hands on experience of design, pattern cutting and clothes making to move students’s imagination and help them interpret their drawings so they can develop the designs into actual garments. Since 2016, Young has been a judge on The Great British Sewing Bee. [4] One of Young's most famous designs was the 'Amorphous Dress' worn by Linda Kozlowski in the 1986 movie Crocodile Dundee; a dress that is now in the V&A Collection. [15] To get you into a creative mood and show you how wonderful (and relaxing) the hobby can be, we're inviting you on the ultimate sewing holiday in Bath, where you'll have the chance to meet Sewing Bee judge Esme Young.
Covering her childhood, family life, career starts and many highs, friendships, teaching and ending up with her much loved time as a judge on The great British sewing bee (which is one of my favourite cosy shows). This was interesting, filled with heart and humour, and just also so inspiring reading of Esmes love for what she does and how she was fired up with that passion and self belief from the start. I could have taken it easy, and continued to teach at college part time, and make costumes for the rest of the time… but where would be the jeopardy in that. I like to try new things and different things, and I think it’s wonderful that I had the opportunity to start a new career when I was nearly 70” As well as running her successful clothing line, Esme lectures at her old fashion college - the prestigious St Martin's College in London. Esme Young on The Great British Sewing Bee I especially loved reading the sections where she said about the films she had worked on, and one of my favourites being Bridget jones Diary with that classic bunny girl outfit!
After the BBC’s Great British Sewing Bee burst onto our screens in 2013, we all fell in love with the art of sewing and embroidery all over again, but the fun hasn't stopped with the end of this year's series. At this point, Mr Grant interrupts with a roar of laughter: “Esme’s got plenty to say!” Clearly, the chemistry between the two judges will be something to watch.
Her eye is drawn by all kinds of objects. She also collects animal skeletons and has the skulls of a boar, goat and sheep. Perhaps her next jewellery project might embrace this interest. a b c Dunn, Karen. "Meet The Great British Sewing Bee's Esme Young". Gathered . Retrieved 15 July 2020.From adventures at Central Saint Martins to The Great British Sewing Bee, go behind the seams of Esme Young's amazing life... It was she who introduced me and my sister to boutiques such as Mary Quant and Biba. She wasn’t keen when I went to jumble sales and wore second-hand clothes when I was older.”
I was born in 1949. My father was a pilot during the war and got shot down, which meant he returned to England and had to stay in hospital for two years. When I was born, he insisted I was named Emma after and old friend who had shown him kindness – even though my mother wanted to call me Caroline. When I was 19 and at St Martins, my name was called out as ‘Esme Young’ – I have no idea where it came – and when I said I went by Emma, my tutor seemed baffled that I would want to be known as Emma when my name was Esme, so that was the moment things changed. BBC Two - Richard Osman's House of Games, Series 6, Week 14: Thursday". BBC . Retrieved 11 December 2022. After Swanky Modes closed in the early Nineties, Young transitioned into costume design. As well as Bridget Jones, she has made clothes for The Beach, 28 Days Later and Never Let Me Go. She now teaches at Central Saint Martins and works with one of her former students, the designer Ashish, on his collections. She was nearly 70 when she was approached to be a judge on the Sewing Bee.His suit and his shoes,” she says, seeming amazed that I’d had to ask. “The tailoring was Italian.” I’m one of those people who, if I’m offered the chance to do something new, I’ll go for it. I don’t want to sit at home; I like being stimulated. You don’t have to do anything extreme – I’m not flying aeroplanes; I’m only harnessing the knowledge I’ve acquired throughout my life. But I like to push myself. Even at 73, I don’t see any reason why I shouldn’t.” Camden was so full of life and creativity at that time and, at Swanky Modes, we wanted to make and sell clothes we wanted to wear – in fact, a lot of Willie’s final collection ended up on the rails. Mel, another member of Swanky Modes, and I used to get tarted up and tour the magazines to try and meet the fashion editors. We had no idea about PR, but we’d take our clothes along and see if they were interested in using them on photoshoots. Hubby bought me Esme Young’s autobiography for my birthday as she always has such interesting snippets of stories dropped in the TV show (like sitting in a window with David Bowie) and I was keen to learn more about her career. This sewer extraordinaire’s CV includes costume designing for the Bridget Jones films (she’s particularly proud of the Bunny Girl outfit) and co-founding fashion label Swanky Modes. The label gained iconic status in the Seventies with its signature body-con dresses beloved by celebrities such as Cher and Julie Christie.
Young writes and speaks warmly about both of her parents, and all of her four siblings, but admits that her relationship with her glamorous, independent, practical joke-loving mother was not always easy. “She had a difficult childhood,” Young tells me. “She had postnatal depression as well. But she… she didn’t really like me. That’s what I felt.” When Young would dress up in her colourful, self-made outfits – she recalls one that was made from a child’s patchwork dressing gown – her mother would refuse to walk down the street with her. “She was embarrassed by me.” It was towards the end of her mother’s life that the pair became, she explains, “much closer”. Esme typically makes costumes for a film’s leading actors. This meticulous process involves understanding the context, the cultural and the fashion references of the film’s time and setting. She utilizes her broad set of skills by providing advice, sourcing fabric, collaborating with the costume designer, fitting and producing the garments.
I don’t find it hugely difficult being a judge on the show – it’s not dissimilar to the appraisal process you do as a teacher, and I can spot when things aren’t quite working. The most important things are the silhouette and the fabric you choose to work with. The correct fabric is what counts – not just quality – because you need it to do what you want it to. I also look at sewing technique. I know first-hand that the only way to learn is often through mistakes.” Chapter Eight: The Future Of Fashion Then, as he recovered in hospital in East Grinstead, West Sussex, Brian fell in love with Esme’s mother Patricia, a “glamorous and full of life” nurse. So why didn't I love the book more? I think it's primarily because it doesn't seem to have a purpose. It documents key times, and it documents the highlights of those, all the positive things for example, about four women working together, managing families and other commitments, doing it for the love of clothes and not for the money. It's not that I wanted scandal, I cannot imagine Esme is the type of person to dish the dirt, but it was all a bit nice. There wasn't any analysis - why did this work, why did this fail. There was little emotion - the struggles were glossed over, so we didn't get to see the pain, which made the triumphs less triumphant. And there wasn't a lot of context either, other than the lists of people she encountered. It must have been a tough and difficult time - she does admit to being scared - but this was a feel good book. This article was originally published on 7 June 2022. Esme Young is speaking at the Cambridge Literary Festival on 19 November, sharing the story of her creatively adventurous life. a b "Births". Bedfordshire Times and Independent. 25 February 1949. p.8. On 19 February 1949, at the Nursing Home, 34 Kimbolton Road, Bedford, to Patricia (née Cole), wife of Wing-Commander B. P. Young, a daughter
Great Deal 
New Comment