Head Embroiderer Scott Heron oversaw an exciting, highly sensitive and secretive project to design and make embroidery for the Virgin Galactic space uniforms.

Virgin Galactic is one of only a handful of commercial spaceflight companies competing to make space travel tourism a reality. The spaceflight shown in the film features the space crew wearing Scott’s embroidery interpretation of the Virgin Galactic logo.

The stylish and contemporary badges are made of silver bullion in the traditional style associated with the British Royal forces. On the April 5th the Virgin spacecraft ‘Spaceship Two Unity Powered Flight 1’ took off from the Mojave desert in California, with Chief Pilot Dave Mackay at the controls. The new spacecraft took off from the runway in a conventional aeroplane style before separating high in the sky with the rocket section blasting off into the high atmosphere.

Then, way above the earth’s atmosphere, the crew were able to enjoy spectacular views of the planet from the edge of space, before returning to the Mojave desert for a smooth landing. The crew emerged to crowds of onlookers keen to witness the historic flight for themselves. Hand & Lock’s embroidery details are visible on the chests, arms and the on the back of the uniforms. Perhaps not the first embroidery to go into space but certainly the first Hand & Lock embroidery to visit the cosmos.