Emma is the 1st ever
British Best Young Tailor and how wonderful that our best young tailor is a woman. Emma is an apprentice at
Dege and Skinner on Savile Row and has been working with them for a year and a half now. She started her training at the London College of Fashion were she did a foundation year in art and design but decided that she wanted to make really amazing clothes and didn't feel LCF was the right place for her. She felt the best place for her to learn her trade was on Savile Row. So after googling courses she found a pre-apprenticeship scheme that Newham College were offering. It was a year and a half basic tailoring skills course, where you had to make your own coat at the end of it. The course also sent them on work placement in Savile Row. Where she got to spend time at 3 tailoring houses. After which Peter Ward who is the head cutter at
Dege and Skinner offered her a job.
After working in different areas Emma now specialises in coat making. She told me "it is very intense every single day. You have to be very alert as one slip and the coat is not as beautiful as it should be and these guys spend £3 to 5K on a coat so you want it to to be perfect for them". Emma also said that her tutor was very harsh but very fair saying "after all he didn't need me but I needed him". When we were shooting everyone who knew her who walked past congratulated her which was really lovely. She said it was so nice to be recognised for what she does, that both men and women have been working in this industry for years and can all do the job equally well. Having said that it was only a few years ago that after 200 years the 1st woman pattern cutter was appointed. "We're getting there" she said.
Her own personal style is influenced by vintage clothing, partly because as an apprentice she can't afford anything else.
Emma found it difficult to pinpoint a favourite place in London as she said the beauty of London is that it is so varied. She likes Hampstead Heath for its great pubs and nice walks, Camden for partying and Stokie (Stoke Newington) for its food. Her boyfriend is a chief and they both love food. Also she loves her own home which is a warehouse and great for parties. When I asked her for her surprise she said she loves to host massive fancy dress parties in her home. Emma believes the mark of a good costume is when people don't recognise you. Her own 2 favourite costumes were when she dressed up as Mystique from the X-Men and Old Greg from the Mighty Boosh. Her favourite costume from one of her parties is when one of her guests came as Zebedee from the Magic Roundabout. It was so good she couldn't figure out how she had done it. "The girl had a spring around her legs and the head was done perfectly".
Emma's hat is from a charity shop in Hackney and only cost her £4.00. Her coat is from Hobbs but was also bought in a charity shop in her home town - Harlow in Essex. Her shirt is from the same shop. Dress is Public Beware, belt on dress, charity shop, belt on coat Christmas present from her mum and shoes are Russell and Bromley.
On an other note - Was interviewed myself for Say Daily. You can check out the interview
here.
