The BBC’s Young Tailor of the Year for 2102 is Savile Row Bespoke Association member Dege & Skinner apprentice Emma Martin.

Announced on BBC3 television on Sunday 5th February, the award forms a part of the BBC’s ‘Britain’s Best’ series, which identifies the cream of young British talent working in such diverse, traditional trades as farming, baking and carpentry.

Emma graduated with a Bespoke Tailoring Diploma from Newham College, which works closely with the SRBA and acts as a springboard to a career on Savile Row, before becoming an apprentice Coat Maker at Dege & Skinner.

With a ‘thirties, jazz theme to the competition, Emma had to display her full range of bespoke tailoring skills and pad a collar; finish a waistcoat; pattern cut a pair of ‘Oxford Bags’ trousers from measurements alone, and then make the trousers to compliment the look of the present jazz band.

She then underwent a fierce grilling about bespoke tailoring techniques, the history of Savile Row and the sources of her inspiration, during which she paid warm tribute to her mentors at Dege & Skinner and reflected on the demands of a Savile Row apprenticeship:

“I trained with Stefano Tormambe, who was an awesome Coat Maker, but since filming has sadly passed away. He was generous with his time and shared his experiences of Dege & Skinner and other tailoring houses. My apprenticeship is extremely demanding. From the moment I enter the work room I'm alert to the precision of every stitch. Were I to make a mistake, even a small one, I would ruin the coat, disappointing the client, my company and, most of all, myself.”

The judges of the competition were the renowned tailors Richard Anderson and Mark Powell who, between them, have made bespoke garments for some of the most fashionable names in the world, including George Clooney, Kate Moss and David Bowie. Richard Anderson commented:

“It was an incredible show to work on and it was rewarding to see young apprentices such as Emma at the start of their careers. The value of apprenticeships is often overlooked, but in today’s climate they are more important than ever.

“Emma has obviously learnt well in her short career and was a worthy winner; through every stage her enthusiasm for the craft of tailoring shone through; her technical skills were excellent and even if she made a mistake, she was quick to recognise it and correct it. She is a credit to her masters at Dege and has an amazing future ahead of her.”

Philip Parker, the Managing Director of Henry Poole & Co and the man who oversees the SRBA's training and apprenticeship programme, added:

"I am delighted that a young coat maker from Savile Row won the young tailor of the year award. Training is of the upmost importance to all industry in this country and Savile Row has, is now and always will provide training for our future masters to ensure that Savile Row tailoring stays at the pinnacle of world bespoke tailoring.