On June 20th another lucky group of LBC members were treated to a fascinating tour of the Freed’s London factory in Hackney. We were shown the progression of shoe manufacturing from the ‘maker’ who pleats & glues the shoes and stamps them with an identifying mark, through to the ‘channel stitcher’ and to the ‘binder’. Each process is carried out by skilled workers dedicated to their craft who can proudly say that they work for the world famous ‘turn-shoe’ company which was established in 1929. Today they are still the only British pointe shoe manufacturers and are suppliers to the public as well as to major companies not just in the UK but throughout the world.
