YCA 2023 Nominee Gets Experience At Prestigious 250-year-old London-based Embroidery Firm

As part of our year-round commitment to creating creative opportunities for Nottingham’s Young People, our 2023 Fashion and Textiles nominee Leah Meldon was chosen by YCA Judge and 2018 Winner Liss Cooke to join her for a day at Hand and Lock Studio in London.

Hand and Lock are an embroidery company, established in 1767, who provide embellishment services to the Royal Family, top European design houses, the Royal Armed Forces, Savile Row and members of the public.

“Winning the YCA award in 2018 provided a great boost of confidence for me.” Said Liss, who works as a Senior Digital Embroidery Production Coordinator for Hand and Lock.

“Since then, YCA has continued to be a great support to me, offering me opportunities and commissions such as an online embroidery club which was conducted throughout lockdown, as well as opportunities to grow my experience in other ways such as giving talks and judging the awards themselves.

“I wanted to offer this opportunity, because I know how much of a boost it can give to a young designer, to have their work recognised by industry professionals. The experience day that we have offered at H&L is unlike any other work experience placement out there. It offers an opportunity for one-on-one tutoring in expert industry techniques and unprecedented access to our largely hidden archive. I love being able to give back to the YCA and I also love encouraging the use of embroidery in the fashion and textiles category and keeping our beautiful craft alive and relevant.