Esme Young

Esme Young (born 19 February 1949) is an English fashion designer and television presenter.[2][3] Since 2016, she has been a judge on the BBC reality series The Great British Sewing Bee.[4]

Esme Young
Born
Esme A. Young

(1949-02-19) 19 February 1949[1]
Bedford, Bedfordshire
NationalityBritish
EducationCentral St Martins
OccupationFashion designer
LabelSwanky Modes
Parent(s)Brian Pashley Young CB CBE, Patricia Cole

Early life and education

Esme Young was born at Bedford Hospital,[1] the second of five children. She has an older sister, Fiona, and younger brothers Christopher, Angus, and Jeremy.[5][3] Her father, Air Vice Marshall Brian Pashley Young CB CBE (1918–1992), was born in Natal, South Africa,[6] and was a career officer in the RAF.[5] He was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 1944,[7] a Commander of the same order in 1960,[8] and a Commander of the Order of the Bath in 1972.[9] In Series 8 of The Great British Sewing Bee, Young revealed that her father was captain of Wasps RFC in the 1950/51 season. Her mother, Patricia Josephine Cole, was a secretary who worked as a nurse during the Second World War.[3][10]

Young attended the Convent of the Holy Ghost, Bedford, where she learnt to draw and to sew.[11] She went on to Saint Martins School of Art.[11][3]

Career

Swanky Modes

In 1972, Young, along with fellow fashion designers Judy Dewsbury, Melanie Herberfield, and Willie Walters, founded a shop in Camden Town called Swanky Modes.[12][13][2] Throughout the 1970s and 1980s Swanky Modes clothing appeared in Vogue, Nova, Honey and The Face.[4] Their clothing was also photographed by Helmut Newton, David Bailey, Nick Knight, and John Swannell.[4]

Film and television

Young has made costumes for many films including The Beach, Bridget Jones' Diary, Romeo & Juliet and Trainspotting.[11][14]

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]

In December 2022, she was a contestant on Richard Osman’s House of Games.[16]

Academic career

She teaches at Central Saint Martins and is involved in a project called "Exploding Fashion" which highlights the importance of pattern cutting.[14][17]

Writing

Young published her autobiography in 2022: Behind the Seams: My Life in Creativity, Friendship and Adventure from the star of the Great British Sewing Bee.[18][19]

References
  1. "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
  2. "The Great British Sewing Bee is back with a new judge – the woman who made Bridget Jones' bunny costume". Radio Times. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
  3. Young, Esme (2022). Behind the seams : my life in creativity, friendship and adventure. London. ISBN 978-1-78870-462-5. OCLC 1294284520.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  4. "The Great British Sewing Bee: Judges". BBC. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
  5. "Obituaries". The Daily Telegraph. 29 July 1992. p. 18.
  6. "Up and Down the World". Nottingham Guardian. 16 March 1961. p. 2.
  7. "No. 36544". The London Gazette (Supplement). 2 June 1944. p. 2582.
  8. "No. 42051". The London Gazette (Supplement). 3 June 1960. p. 3981.
  9. "No. 45678". The London Gazette (Supplement). 23 May 1972. p. 6257.
  10. "Flight Lieutenant Married". Bedfordshire Times and Independent. 13 February 1942. p. 6.
  11. Dunn, Karen. "Meet The Great British Sewing Bee's Esme Young". Gathered. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
  12. "Amorphous". V&A. 18 August 1977. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
  13. "History". Swanky Modes Archive. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
  14. "Esme Young". United Agents. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
  15. "Meet the Great British Sewing Bee's Esme Young".
  16. "BBC Two - Richard Osman's House of Games, Series 6, Week 14: Thursday". BBC. Retrieved 11 December 2022.
  17. "Team". Exploding Fashion. Central St Martins. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
  18. Stephenson, Hannah (23 April 2022). "The Great British Sewing Bee's Esme Young on partying with David Bowie". The Herald Scotland. Retrieved 22 September 2022.
  19. Christie, Janet (11 June 2022). "Esme Young, star of The Great British Sewing Bee goes behind the seams with her new book". The Scotsman. Retrieved 22 September 2022.
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