Sara Pascoe welcomes the four semi-finalists into the Sewing Room to celebrate the influences of Japanese design and sewing. For the Pattern Challenge, Esme has collaborated with a Japanese designer to come up with a kimono-inspired dress that proves to be a brain-teaser. This is for a place in the final, after all.
The Transformation Challenge is on a smaller scale than usual, as the sewers take worn-out denim and apply the Japanese techniques of sashiko and boro to mend areas of wear and tear, enhancing it with appliqué and embroidery.
Finally, their Made to Measure challenge is to fit an outfit to their model which has elements of origami folds and pleats.