For 20 Years, Tony Phillips Developed Sandwiches and Salads for UK Supermarkets. Now He Creates Textile Art

Tony Phillips is a textile artist in Walsall, England, who makes richly textured embroidered art and bespoke commissions under the name The Manbroiderer, often from reclaimed and vintage fabrics. He spent over 20 years in the food industry, developing sandwiches and salads for UK supermarkets, and after retiring made textiles – part of his life since childhood – his work.

Tony combines hand and machine embroidery, appliqué, surface embellishment and mixed media, layering fabrics for structure before stitch builds texture and detail. He works with cotton, linen, silk, hand-dyed cloth, vintage linens and found objects, and rust-dyes reclaimed fabric with found metal. A smaller piece takes 20 to 40 hours; larger narrative works can take 100 hours or more.

Tony welcomes commissions and custom orders, usually 3 to 4 a year. Each begins with a conversation – in person, through his website, by email or at an exhibition – about the stories, memories or themes the client wants in the piece; then come sketches and material ideas. Smaller works take four to six weeks; larger, more intricate pieces can take several months.

Tony’s biggest channel is his website and online sales, about 40% of what he sells, followed by shows and exhibitions (about 25%), word of mouth and referrals (about 20%) and commissions (about 15%). Large textile and craft events such as the Creative Craft Shows work best, because people meet the work and hear the stories behind it. He takes 15 to 20 orders a week.

For more than 20 years, Tony worked in the food industry, in food technology, product development and technical management. He did development work creating sandwiches and salads for UK supermarkets. The work involved creativity, innovation and problem-solving, but over time he found himself increasingly drawn back to textiles and the satisfaction of making things by hand.

He has stitched for as long as he can remember. Growing up surrounded by people who made things by hand gave him an appreciation for textiles and craftsmanship from an early age. The earliest pieces he remembers making were simple embroidered samplers and stitched pictures – “far from perfect, but they sparked a lifelong fascination with thread, texture and storytelling through cloth.” Through all the years in a demanding, high-pressure job, making was his sanctuary: “a place where time slowed, where I could work with my hands and reconnect with myself.” Eventually he made the move from food technology to textile art, teaching and creative practice.

“Looking back, both careers have involved experimentation, attention to detail and a desire to create something meaningful.”

The name The Manbroiderer started as a light-hearted way of challenging assumptions. Embroidery is often seen as a female-dominated craft, yet men have a long history within textile traditions. People are still occasionally surprised when they meet him at exhibitions, but that surprise usually opens up interesting conversations. “If the name helps challenge stereotypes and encourages more people to try embroidery, then it has achieved its purpose.”

Every piece begins with a story. Inspiration often comes from memories, places, historical textiles, nature, or the people and experiences that have shaped his life. He starts by gathering visual references, sketching ideas and selecting materials that help convey the narrative. Fabrics are layered to create structure and depth before stitch adds texture, detail and story. “Stitch is central to my practice, acting both as a drawing tool and a way of recording stories, memories and connections.”

Rust shows how he works. It began with walks along the coastline, where he became fascinated by weathered nets, rusting metal and objects slowly being reclaimed by nature. He rust-dyed reclaimed cotton and vintage fabrics using found metal objects, and the marks became the foundation of the piece. Layers of hand stitch, machine stitch and textured embroidery built up surfaces suggesting peeling paint and decaying metal. The stitched net extends beyond the lower edge: “I deliberately wanted the artwork to escape its boundaries and feel as though it continued beyond the frame.” The piece took several weeks.

Many of his materials already have histories: vintage linens, tablecloths, lace, handkerchiefs and household textiles from charity shops, antique markets and donations from family and friends. What interests him most are the signs of previous lives – repairs, fading, stains, wear marks. “Every reused material arrives with a story of its own, and I see my role as continuing that story rather than starting from scratch.”

A selection of Tony’s narrative textile artworks, made with layers of fabric, hand and machine embroidery, appliqué and mixed-media techniques. Each piece explores memory, place and storytelling. Woodland was inspired by the miniature landscapes of the woodland floor, Where The Whales Roam by humpback whales and ocean currents, and Faultlines in Red by organic structures and the cycles of nature. Photos: Tony Phillips.

Tony’s buyers value craftsmanship, storytelling and the emotional connection that handmade textiles can create. Most are in the UK, but his work occasionally travels further, to collectors and textile lovers overseas. Whether displayed in a quiet reading corner, a family living room, a creative studio or a personal collection, “each piece becomes part of a new story.”

The weekly orders are mostly smaller pieces and textile-related products – original stitched pieces, textile gifts, kits, creative resources and items based on his artwork. They let collectors engage with his practice at a more accessible level. Commissions are larger, more bespoke pieces developed over a longer period, and he is particularly touched when clients commission work inspired by their own memories. His prices range from £75 to £1,500.

Tony’s earliest customers came through word-of-mouth recommendations, personal and professional networks, and exhibiting at fashion, embroidery and textile shows. These events let him show his work, build relationships within the industry and reach people interested in high-quality textile design and craftsmanship.

Today his website and online sales bring about 40% of his sales, shows and exhibitions about 25%, word of mouth and referrals about 20% and commissions about 15%. The proportions vary from year to year, but personal recommendation remains incredibly important and often leads to commissions, teaching opportunities and exhibition invitations.

The most successful events are those where people can engage directly with the work and hear the stories behind it: large textile and craft events such as the Creative Craft Shows, regional textile exhibitions, open studios and gallery exhibitions. Teaching demonstrations also generate strong engagement, because visitors connect with both the process and the finished piece.

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In the early years, Tony spent time and money on events that weren’t the right fit, bought materials that never made it into a finished piece and tried products that didn’t reflect his creative practice. One of the biggest challenges was recognising the true value of his time: early on, he occasionally underpriced work, only to realise that a finished piece represented far more time and skill than the price reflected.

There were doubts too. After retiring from a demanding career, he sometimes questioned whether he could establish himself in a completely different field – especially when sales were slow, or a piece that had taken weeks didn’t find a home straight away. What kept him going was the making itself.

The turning point came when Tony stopped trying to fit his work into what he thought people wanted and began telling the stories he genuinely wanted to tell. He realised that the pieces that resonated most were rooted in memory, place, history and personal experience. “The response was immediate.” Commissions, exhibition opportunities and teaching invitations followed. “That shift gave me the confidence to see myself not simply as someone who made textiles, but as an artist and storyteller.”

Tony teaches textile art, embroidery, mixed-media techniques and creative stitching through workshops, courses and accredited programmes at IDC College. He is now creating a frock coat to take to shows and exhibitions, inviting people to add their own small story in stitch: “I want it to be a documented story of everyday people’s lives, a snapshot of the present.”

“I create richly textured textile art and bespoke commissions that transform stories, memories and treasured moments into stitched heirlooms. Perfect for collectors, textile lovers and anyone seeking artwork with depth, meaning and a personal connection.”

Who: Tony Phillips (The Manbroiderer)
What: Handmade textile art and embroidery – narrative pieces, commissions, gifts and kits
Where: Walsall, England, UK
Started: April 2022
Audience: About 1,400 Instagram followers
Customers: 15–20 orders a week; 3–4 commissions a year
Price range: £75–£1,500
Custom orders: Yes – 4–6 weeks for smaller works, several months for larger
Ships: Mostly UK; occasionally overseas
Channels: Word of Mouth & Offline