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Hand & Lock

Fabric of our time: 250 years of world history

Hand & Lock have 250 years experience embellishing, embroidering and monogramming garments for the Royal family, the military and fashion houses including Dior, Hermes and Louis Vuitton.

The long history of Hand & Lock can be traced back to 1767, when a young Huguenot refugee from France named M. Hand came to London and began manufacturing and selling lace to military tailors. Having studied under Italian craftsmen, Hand and was exceptionally skilled in working with gold lace.

In 1898, CE Phipps began creating embroidered fashion items and selling them to department stores. On his retirement in 1956, he sold the company to one of his employees, a talented embroidery designer, Stanley Lock who renamed it S. Lock Ltd. The Company moved into creating 'special order embroidery' for Christian Dior, Norman Hartnell and other prestigious fashion houses.

This association extended into creating embroidered gowns for Queen Elizabeth II and Diana, Princess of Wales. In 1972 the company was awarded a Royal Warrant.

Hand & Lock have 250 years experience embellishing, embroidering and monogramming garments for the Royal family, the military and fashion houses including Dior, Hermes and Louis Vuitton.

The long history of Hand & Lock can be traced back to 1767, when a young Huguenot refugee from France named M. Hand came to London and began manufacturing and selling lace to military tailors. Having studied under Italian craftsmen, Hand and was exceptionally skilled in working with gold lace.

In 1898, CE Phipps began creating embroidered fashion items and selling them to department stores. On his retirement in 1956, he sold the company to one of his employees, a talented embroidery designer, Stanley Lock who renamed it S. Lock Ltd. The Company moved into creating 'special order embroidery' for Christian Dior, Norman Hartnell and other prestigious fashion houses.

This association extended into creating embroidered gowns for Queen Elizabeth II and Diana, Princess of Wales. In 1972 the company was awarded a Royal Warrant.

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