Esme Young

Esme Young
Born
Esme A. Young

(1949-02-19) 19 February 1949 (age 75)[1]
Bedford, Bedfordshire
NationalityBritish
EducationCentral St Martins
OccupationFashion designer
LabelSwanky Modes
Parent(s)Brian Pashley Young CB CBE, Patricia Cole

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]

Early life and education

Esme Young was born at Bedford Hospital,[1] the second of five children.[5][3] Her father, Air Vice Marshal 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. ^ 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
  2. ^ a b "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. ^ a b c d 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. ^ a b c d "The Great British Sewing Bee: Judges". BBC. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
  5. ^ a b "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. ^ a b c 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. ^ a b "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.