51Âþ»­

Taught to sew by his nan and influenced by the drag scene, 51Âþ»­ Leicester (51Âþ»­) graduate sparkled on BBC One’s The Great British Sewing Bee (GBSB) this year.

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Matthew being interviewed during episode one, series nine of the Sewing Bee

Presented by comedian Sara Pascoe, the show sees amateur sewers compete to impress fashion designer judges Patrick Grant and Esme Young, with Matthew making it all the way to episode four.

Remembered for his distinctive fashion sense - featuring glitter, harnesses and stilettos – Patrick described Matthew as “one of the most creative and certainly the boldest’ contestant on series nine of GBSB.

Matthew’s show highlights included winning first place for his bondage-inspired shirt in episode one’s transformation challenge and designing a swimsuit for female-identifying people in the transgender flag colours in episode two’s made-to-measure challenge.

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Discussing his pattern challenge in episode two with the judges

The 30-year-old dancer and teaching assistant from Peterborough spent five years at sea as a deputy cruise director after graduating from 51Âþ»­ with a Dance BA (Hons), followed by a Performance Practices MA. He’s performed at the opening ceremonies of the London 2012 Olympics, the UEFA Champions League Final and the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Pageant.

We caught up with Matthew to find out about his time on GBSB and as a student at 51Âþ»­.

Matthew, we’d love to know how you got into sewing and why you applied for GBSB.

I grew up watching my tailoress nan, but I didn’t get into sewing clothing until maybe college, and then I stopped for years. I didn’t pick it back up again properly until the first Covid lockdown, but I was having so much fun with it that I thought: “Why not give the Sewing Bee a go?”.

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Meeting his fellow series nine sewing bees for the first time

What was it like being on the show?

It was actually my second time applying for the show, so being finally picked was like a dream come true. I’ve always wanted to meet Esme and it turns out that she’s an actual incredible human being. Walking in and seeing how talented all the other contestants were, I thought to myself: “As long as I get past episode one, I’ll be ok”.

One thing everyone always wants to know is whether the time limits we’re set are real. They are 100 per cent real. In the time set, you have to read through the pattern, cut everything out and sew it up. The entire cast and crew were such beautiful human beings though, that it didn’t actually feel like a competition, because everyone helped each other. I remember in episode one we were all trying to figure out a pattern together and in episode three, when Fauve’s bobbin ran out near the end of a challenge, I gave her my machine to finish off on.

Do you have a proudest moment from the show?

The thing that’s made me feel proudest is staying true to who I am. I think it’s really important to have representation of otherness. I didn’t really think about the impact of things like that before going on the show, but lots of people want to talk to me about it now and it feels good to know that I made them feel seen. Even though my swimsuit ended up being one of the worst constructions of my life, I didn’t realise it would be seen as such a political statement. The negativity it got on Twitter/X was insane, but I’m glad I was able to represent the LGBTQ+ community.

Sewing-wise, my proudest moment has to be my first transformation project. Patrick said it was one of the best he’s seen on the show and it was compared to Vivienne Westwood and Comme des Garcon designs, which was a real highlight for me.

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Matthew's take on Billy Porter's 2019 Grammy look for a gala event

What’s your favourite thing about sewing?

I make most of my clothes myself, so the best thing about sewing is that I can be quirky and feel good about it. I’m here to disrupt and make people think. I don’t want to walk down the street and be a blur – I want people to go, “What is that?” or “I want to dress like that”.

Can you tell us a bit about life after GBSB?

I’m still dancing and teaching, but I’m also designing and making a lot more for drag queens. I’ve just got some ambassadorships with fabric companies and I’m in talks with a sewing machine company.

I’m trying not to overthink it or overexcite myself because realistically we’re living in a time where some people in this country can’t even afford to buy a loaf of bread. I’m just grateful for every opportunity that comes my way.

How did you find studying at 51Âþ»­ and your time in Leicester?

I always knew I didn’t want to go to a dance school and I remember coming to an Open Day at 51Âþ»­, and the atmosphere really got me. It felt really good and then after my audition, I knew it was the right place for me. I loved every single second of my degree – doing it was the best thing I’ve ever done. It taught me a lot about myself and about performing, plus I’m still friends with the six girls I lived with in my second and third year.

Also, I really like Leicester - it’s such a great city with so much going on. It’s improved loads over the years for the arts as well, with places like the LCB Depot and Curve theatre. All those opportunities really help to shine a light on the arts in Leicester and the East Midlands.