University News Last updated 29 July 2024
Luke-Matthew Iveson, who graduated from our Royal 探花直播 Conservatoire (RBC) in 2012, has been crowned the winner of The Great British Sewing Bee 2024.聽
Now in its 10th year, the series invites 12 talented amateur sewers to compete across 10 episodes, with the final three coming head-to-head to be named Britain鈥檚 best amateur sewer.
Luke studied BMus (Hons) Composition and still talks highly of their time at RBC, calling it 鈥渁n amazing experience鈥� that helped develop their creativity.
While music isn鈥檛 their sole focus, they said: 鈥淚 think it鈥檚 something that will never leave me and that I鈥檇 love to get back into it a little more.鈥�
They currently work as a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) consultant, where they champion inclusive practices that enrich employee experiences and organisational culture.
In their spare time they perform as a drag artist.
We sat down with Luke to talk about their time on the show and how they felt about winning the competition.
What got you into sewing to begin with?
鈥淢y grandma. When I was about eight, she would make the most amazing costumes for me and my sister. She would let me help here and there. I owe my creativity very much to her. I sewed a lot with her but stopped in my early teens because I didn鈥檛 think it was cool! It wasn鈥檛 until college I fell back in love with sewing and got into more creative, stage costume type work.鈥�
What inspired you to apply for The Great British Sewing Bee?
鈥淚鈥檝e loved the show and the fact that sewing is in the mainstream media. I thought I鈥檇 try it and see what happened. I didn鈥檛 really have much confidence, so it was a massive shock to get through. I knew I wanted to stray true to what sewing meant to me, how it can be so expressive of who we are, so being able to represent the queer community on a show like this was an honour.鈥�
How does it feel to have won?
鈥淚 still can鈥檛 quite believe it. This year's contestants were all so talented, it could have been anyone. It feels so special to be the winner and means the world to me. I鈥檝e never been one to call out my own achievements, but the show and my fellow bees taught me how important it is to do so.鈥�
What are your plans for the future?
鈥淗opefully, lots of different things, I鈥檇 love to get back into more stage and performance costumes, work with some drag performers, and try some new things. That was my favourite part of the show, being faced with stuff I鈥檝e never done before and just trying it out.鈥�
You can find Luke-Matthew on Instagram, on their sewing page聽 and their drag page .