25/08/2026
A little bit about me — and Swish Customs 👋
I thought it was about time I introduced myself properly and told you a little bit about the person behind Swish Customs.
I’ve been in upholstery for pretty much my whole adult life, starting out as an apprentice and studying at a specialist trade college in Salisbury. It was a fantastic place to learn, with only six students in our class and a real focus on traditional, quality craftsmanship. I spent time learning traditional upholstery using materials such as horsehair and building the foundations of the standards I still have today.
After qualifying, my career took me in a slightly different direction, leading me into marine upholstery, which has been a huge part of my working life for around 30 years.
I spent around 13 years located at Brooms Boats in Brundall, working alongside some incredibly skilled boat builders and tradespeople and helping to build their luxury new-build boats from the upholstery side. It was a fantastic experience being part of the whole build process and seeing how all the different elements of a quality boat came together.
I then moved to Broads Haven Boat Covers on the Norfolk broads, where I spent a further 14 years running their boat cover and upholstery department, working on boats for their private customers as well as helping with their new-build boats.
I taught myself the skills needed to make boat canopies and covers to a high standard, and found myself being thrown into all sorts of jobs over the years — which is probably where I learnt that there isn’t much you can’t work out when you’re given a challenge! 😂
Working on boats such as Brooms and Haines, and many other luxury cruisers, gave me an enormous amount of experience with different materials, shapes, designs and, most importantly, the importance of getting the finished job right.
I eventually decided it was time to do things for myself and Swish Customs was born,
“Since starting Swish Customs, I’ve also continued to build on my skills, taking myself off to do an automotive upholstery course as well as a leather spraying and repair course. I’m a big believer that you never stop learning, and I’m always looking for ways to improve what I can offer and take on new challenges.”
These days I specialise in marine and automotive upholstery, with a real focus on custom work and bespoke projects. I particularly enjoy working with customers who have their own ideas and turning those ideas into something completely unique.
I’m also very lucky to have my partner Paul as a big part of Swish Customs. He’s a hugely talented boat builder, and between us we can take on much more than upholstery alone — particularly when it comes to van conversions, woodwork and bigger custom projects. We make a pretty good team!
So, although Swish Customs is still growing, the experience behind it certainly isn’t new. I’ve spent decades learning my trade, solving problems, working with some brilliant people and, occasionally, being thrown in at the deep end and figuring it out! 😂
Quality, attention to detail and doing a job properly have always mattered to me, and that’s what I want to bring to every project that comes through the door.
Thank you to everyone who has supported Swish Customs so far. ❤️ It really does mean a lot.
If you’ve got a custom upholstery or bespoke project, whether it’s marine, automotive or something a little bit different, I’d love to hear your ideas.
You bring the idea — we’ll see what we can create.
— Fee
Swish Customs | Marine & Auto Trimming
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