Burberry Prorsum Embrace Hand & Lock's Military Heritage

The Burberry 2015 Christmas campaign featured specially embroidered oversized monograms by Hand & Lock. During the campaigns planning phases Burberry’s design team made frequent visits to Hand & Lock and took a keen interest in the extensive military embroideries we are famous for.

After the successful Christmas campaign, they turned their full attention to the H&L military department and began ordering gold laces, cords, braids, Russia braid, goldwork badges and our range of goldwork letters ahead of their Spring Summer 2016 collection.

Hand & Lock’s Production Director Jessica Pile oversaw the intensive sampling process supplying Burberry with different ready-made embellishments for testing on a weekly, sometimes daily basis. Months went by and the Burberry design team began to refine their requests and perfect the subtle military aesthetic they wanted to embrace.

Come September 2015 London’s Fashion Week arrived and the hotly anticipated Burberry Prorsum show began. The first model, Victoria Kosenkova stepped out onto the runway wearing an iconic black trench coat with Russia braid detailing around the buttonholes. When she turned at the end of the catwalk the celebrity-packed audience saw a luxurious black nylon rucksack with gold chain straps, leather clasps and her initials VK rendered in Hand & Lock goldwork. The models emerged one after another as Alison Moyet performed with a 32 piece orchestra; each one wearing some combination of sportswear and evening wears peppered with delicate Hand & Lock military details.

Hand & Lock highlights included detailing on a Mahogany Red Flocked Polka Gown modelled by Irina Djuranovic, a regimental cashmere coat modelled by Ysaunny Brito and spectacular Digital Tie Dye Cotton tulle Dress modelled by Olivia Jansing. Blazer badges were repurposed and paired on sporty rubber-soled sandals and gold cording followed lapel edges and drama to the wide collars.

Of all the pieces presented at Kensington Gardens on that September afternoon the item that has gone on to be this Summer’s must-have item for the fashion elite has been the goldwork monogrammed rucksack. The likes of Margot Robbie, Susie Waterhouse, Cara Delevingne, Kate Bosworth and Taylor Swift have been photographed with theirs and inspired a legion of fashionistas to follow suit.

Hand & Lock continue to proudly supply the hand-embroidered goldwork letters on every rucksack sold and look forward to future collaborations that give their customers a luxury bespoke finish.

To learn more about Hand & Lock’s work you can visit the atelier or else take a class. Click on the links below to find out more

handembroidery.com/visit-the-atelier / handembroideryshop.com/school

"The models emerged one after another as Alison Moyet performed with a 32 piece orchestra"

Bespoke Embroidery
Models walk the runway at the Burberry Prorsum Spring Summer 2016 fashion show.
Goldwork letters for Burberry Rucksack
Digital Tie Dye Cotton tulle Dress modelled by Olivia Jansing
Burberry 2015 Christmas Campaign with H&L Monograms
Hand and Lock large logo