Hand and Lock Embroidery

Deu love embroidery?

Hand & Lock have been collaborating with fashion designers for over a century. As the words oldest Couture embroiderers we are always looking to push the boundaries of embroidery in fashion. This is why we at Hand & Lock are extremely dedicated in supporting and nurturing the young British fashion talent. The newest addition to join the successful relationship is none other than London born, British Indian womenswear designer Manjit Deu.

Graduating from London College of Fashion with a Masters in Fashion Design, Manjit Deu quickly set tails wagging among the fashion circuit for his unique and refreshing approach of embellishment. Signed up by Harrods to develop his first professional collection, Manjit designs with the everyday women in mind. His dresses are effortlessly structured and modern with the emphasis on the female form using embroidery.

For his Autumn/Winter 10/11 Collection Manjit collaborated with Alba Moreno-Gutierrez a designer at Hand & Lock to develop embroidery for his third collection. In the early stages of the collaboration the team started developing ideas of what it should say about the dress, Manjit is a true believe in supporting and practicing couture craftsmanship and is very enthusiastic about the fusion of fashion and embroidery decided that it should be a reflection of the structure used in his designs. With this been the main focus of the embroidery the design developed using a combination of round beads and silver domes to build pyramids, embroidery to provoke.

Once a pattern started to emerge in the shape and sequence of the embroidery the focus shifted to how it could be applied. Used in a more simplistic approach embroidery tends to lay flat on the fabric, and at times is only used in small amounts to add detail and value to a garment, consider placement. However Manjit`s approach was much more complex, the shape had taken a three dimensional form using a combination of heavy mixed silver beads to create a very chunky jewellery like effect that created emphasis on the shape of the garments silhouette.

The combination between fashion and embroidery has never been so alive as it is in Manjit Deu’s collection. The finished outcome of this exciting collaboration is quite magnificent. Simple structured feminine shapes teamed up with a mixture of heavy and delicate embroidery gives the collection an armored regal look of sophistication and youth. We at Hand & Lock are very proud of all designs and look forward to many more collaborations with the young British talent of today, we value their creativity and vision as we continue to push the boundaries of embroidery together.