It is interesting that many people involved in the dance industry are unaware that Freed of London make pointe shoes, and are only aware that the factory makes Ballroom & Latin shoes, or vice versa, only having experience of one of the shoe styles. However, both aspects are covered under the one roof of the legendary factory tucked away in Hackney, east London, and it is often a pleasant surprise to visitors that the factory is constantly busy designing and producing shoes for both ballet and the ballroom floor.
From the outside the factory looks fairly modest in size, however it extends a long way back in order to incorporate a number of different rooms and activities. From the design office to the finishing room, each area is buzzing with activity. What is reassuring to customers is that all the shoes of Freed of London are, in fact, made in England, specifically in the east London factory. With high quality and craftsmanship of iconic trademarks of all the shoes that are produced by Freed, customers are safe in the knowledge they have bought something of high quality, made with love.
For pointe shoes in particular, this area of the factory is awash with the unique ‘new pointe shoes’ smell that is loved by so many dancers. There are a number of ‘makers’ for pointe shoes, each concentrating on the specifications of both catalogue pointe shoes and more bespoke orders. Part of the factory’s work is also made up of supplying ballet companies with their dancers’ pointe shoes; many dancers like to remain with one maker throughout their careers, making small changes to their shoes as per their working requirements. The hard work truly begins when a maker retires, and it is the responsibility of one person to ensure there is a smooth changeover to another maker for the dancers relying on their particular expertise.
Whilst factory tours are few and far between, there is a magical world behind those factory doors.