Esme Young
Behind The Seams
A judge on the much-loved TV series The Great British Sewing Bee, Queen of Fashion Esme Young’s passion for sewing and designing was born when she found refuge in her sketchbooks as a child afterdiscovering she was partially deaf.
Moving to London as a teenager her life progressed from living in a squat and studying at Central St Martins to launching Swanky Modes, a cult shop and clothing line with three like minded women.
She went on to design outfits for films including Trainspotting, Bridget Jones’s Diary and The Beach, has altered a dress for Cher and watched the Notting Hill Carnival with David Bowie. She has now moved onto the small screen herself as a judge on The Great British Sewing Bee working with presenters Claudia Winkelman, Joe Lycett and Sara Pascoe. As well as designing and judging, Esmealso works as a senior lecturer teaching fashion at Central Saint Martins.
A celebration of a creative life lived differently, Behind the Seams is a reminder that it's never too early, or
too late to pick up a needle and start stitching in a new direction. Esme Young tells her life story, through anecdotes, pictures from her past, images of her fashion creations and video clips of The Great British Sewing Bee, and the fashion shows created for her clothing line Swanky Modes.
She explains how collaborations and friendships throughout her career have led to new opportunities and talks about some of the celebrities she has run across along the way.
Always willing to try something new, Esme tells us how a life in fashion led to a new opportunity and a new
career as a judge on the Sewing Bee. “Go on television at 70? Sure why not?”
Esme’s talk brings her book to life.
Talks by Esme Young
Nov
19
Behind The Seams
2:00pmThe Gibraltar Garrison
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