# Hand & Lock

Hand & Lock is an embroidery brand in the United Kingdom created from the merger of M Hand & Company and S Lock in 2001, and is based in Fitzrovia, London.

## History

M Hand & Company Ltd was founded in London in 1767. Hand was a Huguenot refugee who was skilled in working with gold lace, and had studied under Italian craftsmen.
Hand & Lock’s rich history dates back to 1767 when M. Hand, a young Huguenot refugee from France, arrived in London and began selling lace to military tailors. As his reputation grew, M. Hand expanded his business to include the design and manufacture of military badges and uniform accoutrements. His expertise in embellishing officers' dress uniforms, which required precision and craftsmanship, quickly made M. Hand & Co. a trusted name among Savile Row and military tailors—a relationship that endures over 250 years later.
In the 1950s, Stanley Lock, a gifted embroidery designer, joined CE Phipps & Co., a specialist embroidery house. When the owner retired in 1956, Lock acquired the business and rebranded it as S. Lock Ltd. The company soon became a key collaborator for haute couture designers like Christian Dior, Norman Hartnell, and Hardy Amies, working on garments for the Queen, Queen Mother, and later, Princess Diana. In recognition of its exceptional craftsmanship, the company was awarded the Royal Warrant in 1972.
Today, Hand & Lock continues to serve a diverse clientele, including international fashion houses, emerging designers, interior decorators, the Royal Family, and costume designers for theatre, film, and television. Despite its evolution, the company prides itself on preserving the traditional embroidery techniques that have remained largely unchanged since 1767.
In 1898, C E Phipps began creating embroidered fashion items and selling them to department stores. Phipps retired in 1956 and sold the company to Stanley Lock. The newly named S Lock Company expanded to create special order embroidery items for fashion houses, including Christian Dior, Norman Hartnell, Hardy Amies and Catherine Walker The company has created embroidered gowns for Queen Elizabeth and Diana, Princess of Wales. In 1972 it was awarded a Royal Warrant and again in 2024 with the Coronation of King Charles III.
Alongside the Military Laces, Badges and Accoutrements Hand & Lock is known for the business has grown and changed through the years. Now the company offers a wide range of bespoke embroidery services, unique products, embroidery event services and their School for Embroidery and Creative Arts.

## Company Timeline

* 1998, The Macleod family acquire M Hand & Co
* 2000,The Prize for Embroidery Competition is launched
* 2001, M Hand & Company and S. Lock merged to form the firm Hand & Lock.
* 2012, Hand & Lock embroidered the banners for the Royal Barge for Queen Elizabeth's Diamond Jubilee celebrations.
* 2017, the company celebrated its 250th anniversary.
* 2019, the company received the Royal Warrant as Embroiderers and Suppliers of Military Accoutrements to HM the Queen.
* 2023, Hand & Lock created various ceremonial embroideries for King Charles lll's Coronation including the embroidery for Queen Camilla's Slipper and Penny Mordaunt's coronation dress.
* 2024, Awarded the Royal Warrant as Embroiderers and Suppliers of Military Accoutrements to His Majesty King Charles lll.

## Hand & Lock School for Embroidery and Creative Arts

The Hand & Lock School for Embroidery and Creative Arts was started in 2001 and is now an internationally recognised institution dedicated to the teaching and preservation of traditional and contemporary hand embroidery techniques. Offering a range of courses both in person at the Hand & Lock studio in London and online, the school provides accessible, high-quality tuition to students around the world.
History and Mission
The school was established as an extension of Hand & Lock’s commitment to passing on centuries-old embroidery techniques to new generations. Recognising the growing global interest in hand embroidery as both an artistic practice and professional skill, Hand & Lock formalised its educational offerings, leading to the creation of a structured curriculum delivered by expert tutors. Today, the school welcomes over 2,000 students annually and is known for maintaining the highest standards of embroidery education. The mission of the Hand & Lock School is to uphold traditional embroidery practices while embracing contemporary innovations, ensuring that the craft continues to evolve and remain relevant. Through its courses, partnerships and outreach initiatives, the school aims to nurture emerging embroidery talent and provides opportunities for students to engage with the discipline in a hands-on, professional environment.
Hand & Lock School has taught bespoke courses with a range of amazing businesses including Kew Gardens, The Natural History Museum, The Household Cavalry Museum and The National Army Museum.
Although based in London, the Hand & Lock School has a strong international presence. The school’s online courses allow students from across the globe to access high-quality embroidery tuition, with live-streamed classes and recorded sessions catering to different time zones. The school has also hosted workshops and teaching events in international locations, including the United States and Australia
Course Offerings
The Hand & Lock School delivers a range of embroidery courses, covering both fundamental and specialist techniques.
Course options include:
* Taster Embroidery Courses - Introductory classes covering basic stitches, design transfer techniques and fabric preparation.
* In Person and Online Courses - Courses are available in-person at the London-based school or online through live virtual classes
* Hand Embroidery Diploma - A 5-unit programme designed for those seeking professional-level embroidery skills
* Corporate and Group Workshops - Bespoke classes designed for businesses, museums and fashion brands interested in learning about embroidery as a craft and its application in contemporary design.
* Guest Tutor Workshops - Workshops taught by external experts in their fields. Guest tutors have included Lemon Pepper Studios, Rediscovered By, Anne Tomlin and Victoria Matthewson.

### Hand & Lock Diploma in Contemporary Hand Embroidery

The Hand & Lock Diploma in Contemporary Hand Embroidery was launched in 2024. The programme has been designed to introduce students to industry-standard couture embroidery. Developed by expert tutors with experience in leading fashion houses, the diploma explores both traditional techniques and contemporary applications, allowing students to push the boundaries of hand embroidery. This flexible online diploma consists of five distinct units, each focusing on a specialised area of contemporary embroidery. Each unit is structured around a design brief, giving students the freedom to interpret and develop their own creative responses while building strong technical skills. The units include; Contemporary Goldwork, Exploration of Embroidery for Haute Couture Fashion, Jewellery and Wearable Art, 3D Contemporary Hand Beading and Embroidery and Embellishment for Interiors.

## Hand & Lock Prize for Embroidery

The Hand & Lock Prize for embroidery, originally called the M Hand prize for embroidery was created in 2000. The competition occurs yearly and has two main categories, Fashion and Textile Art. Each of which has a top prize of $6000. The student category is open to people in part or full-time education, and the open category is open to everyone. These awards are given by Hand & Lock and chosen by a specialist panel of independent expert judges. Judges for the 2024 Prize included Alastair Macleod, Esme Young, Cornelia Parker, Anthea Godfrey and many more. Each year the judging panel reviews the digital submissions and selects the finalists. A few months pass where these selected finalists can finesse their entry with the help of an industry mentor matched to them by Hand & Lock. At the Prize exhibition, live judging and Prize-giving the judges see the finished submissions and begin their final assessment. Considering both the final work and the entrant’s supporting materials, they score according to the entrants interpretation of the brief, their technical skill, their overall vision and wow factor. In addition to the main competition Hand & Lock has teamed up with a range of companies to create Associate Awards, each with their own unique requirements and prizes.
In 2020, due to the global coronavirus pandemic the live final was a held virtually with a host of events livestreamed online including a series of talks. Guests included Embroidery designer Jenny King, Designer and teacher Beatrice Korlekie Newman and the Artistic Director of the Embroiderer’s Guild, Anthea Godfrey. The Live Prize Giving event streamed via Zoom from 18.30. Winners included Royal School of Needlework Future Tutor Graduate 2020 Martha Blackburn