Less than a month after being crowned winner of BBC Three’s Drag Race UK vs The World in its first ever series, Northern Irish drag queen Blu Hydrangea is back on our screens with a brand new show.
Blu's Drag Race win saw her beat off the competition from fellow contestants from Thailand, the Netherlands and Canada, as well as the UK and America, to be crowned the inaugural Queen of the World, bagging the prize of recording a musical verse with Ru Paul.
Read more: Drag Race UK vs The World won by NI's Blu Hydrangea
Blu, 26, AKA Joshua Cargill from Hillsborough, is Northern Ireland’s most prominent drag artist and best known for competing in the first series of Ru Paul’s Drag Race UK in 2019.
Fresh from claiming the coveted title, Blu has now been asked to host Stitch, Please!, a three-part BBC series that sees contestants compete against one another to create garments inspired by the hottest looks in pop culture.
For each episode, new stitchers will step into the 17th century Castle Upton in Templepatrick with £100 and 12 hours to create looks inspired by the works of some world-renowned costume and fashion designers.
The theme for episode one of the sewing competition is dystopian adventure franchise The Hunger Games and contestants Katherine and Yasmine get plenty of inspiration from the extravagant garments worn by characters from the books and films.
Their work will be scrutinised by Blu and Emmy and BAFTA award-winning guest judge Michele Clapton, who crafted costumes for iconic characters from Game of Thrones to The Crown
Episode 2 sees Lucy and Matthew step up to take on The Met Gala - the annual New York fundraiser that sees famous faces wearing works from some of the world's biggest designers in the hope of making the best dressed lists.
Julien MacDonald, a legend of British fashion, is stepping up as guest judge to evaluate their efforts alongside Blu.
For the third and final episode, contestants Mariam and Amy will be recreating looks from the iconic 90s fashion flick Clueless, a film that still inspires style over two decades later.
The stitchers will let their imagination run wild in the hopes of impressing Blu and Co Kerry native and fashion designer Colin Horgan, who's worked with big names from Lady Gaga to Little Mix.
"I love being creative with my outfits. I don't often make everything now but I used to and I still love being involved in that whole process," Blu told Belfast Live.
"That interest in sewing came from my own love of drag. Ru Paul always says that if you're going to apply for Drag Race, you have to know how to sew and it really is a helpful skill to have.
"I have a friend, Chloé Doogan, who is a local designer and she used to create all of my drag outfits. I took a few lessons from her and she was really patient (she needed to be!) and honestly I couldn't have learned from anybody else because I'm so impatient!"
Blu describes her new show as “fast-paced" and “full of fun and glamour”, adding that it really taps into her own love of pop culture.
“My own style inspiration comes from anything like a cartoon character to a pair of earrings I see in a charity shop or a colour scheme.
“With the age of social media, I get a lot of inspiration from there but equally it's from just opening my eyes to what's around me. Also it has come from incredible pop icons like David Bowie, Lady Gaga, Prince and Elton John,” she added.
"If the audience have half as much fun watching as I've had with the stitchers, they're in for a real treat. Hosting this show has shown me that there is a wealth of talent out there in the sewing, crafting and cosplay communities.
"These are young people who have been through so much and they use this artform almost like a weapon against anything bad that is happening in their lives. They are just all so inspirational so it was really hard to decide a winner in each episode.
"Watching someone struggle for 12 hours and only have a £100 budget really makes you appreciate how talented they are. Each and every single one of them had a different perspective and were able to inject their own personalities into what they made.
"I got to know them through what they were making and it was just fabulous. Some are now working on red carpet fashions, selling their outfits while for others it's still a hobby.
"Stitch, Please! gave them an opportunity to really showcase their skills. I've been blown away by the talent of the stitchers and I think the viewers will be too,” she added.
Reflecting on her big Drag Race UK vs The World win last month, Blu said: "I'm just back from a wee holiday and I think that's the first two days I've had off since I won! It has been an amazing few weeks.
"I've gone from working in a Belfast bar two or three nights a week to now preparing to travel the world next month - that's just incredible."
She added: "Representing Northern Ireland was really important to me and I'm grateful for all the support I received.
"I really hope that there are some people out there who heard my story and found acceptance in themselves or saw me being a magic, fabulous, queer person on TV and it opened their eyes to the possibilities that they could achieve.
"There is a future that's going to be really positive for Northern Ireland and I think we're on our way there."
Stitch, Please! has two different release dates: Monday 18 April at 8.30pm for BBC Three and Wednesday 20 April at 10.45pm for BBC One Northern Ireland. The episodes will also be available to stream on BBC iPlayer.
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