Esme Young

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

Early life and education
Esme Young was born at Bedford Hospital, the second of five children. Her father, Air Vice Marshal Brian Pashley Young (1918–1992), was born in Natal, South Africa, and was a career officer in the RAF. He was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 1944, a Commander of the same order in 1960, and a Commander of the Order of the Bath in 1972. 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.

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

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. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s Swanky Modes clothing appeared in Vogue, Nova, Honey and The Face. Their clothing was also photographed by Helmut Newton, David Bailey, Nick Knight, and John Swannell.

Film and television
Young has made costumes for many films including The Beach, Bridget Jones' Diary, Romeo & Juliet and Trainspotting.

Since 2016, Young has been a judge on The Great British Sewing Bee. 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.

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

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

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.