Esme Young Interviewed by Sophie Ratcliffe

Fashion designer and The Great British Sewing Bee judge Esme Young talks about a lifetime of sewing and designing that began in a squat with other young creatives and has lately seen her appearing in the BBC reality series.

Young tells how she made her way as a teenager to London, living in a squat and studying at Central St Martins. She launched a clothing line, Swanky Modes, watched Notting Hill Carnival with David Bowie and altered a dress for Cher. Young later moved into film, designing costumes for Trainspotting, Bridget Jones’s Diary and The Beach. Her work has featured in the likes of Vogue magazine. Since 2016, she has been a judge on the BBC reality series The Great British Sewing Bee, working with presenters Claudia Winkelman, Joe Lycett and Sara Pascoe. Here she talks to writer and literary critic Sophie Ratcliffe, author of The Lost Properties of Love.