Freed of London Ltd, often referred to simply as Freed, is a designer and manufacturer of pointe shoes and other dance shoes. The company additionally manufactures dance apparel, bridal, and fashion collections. Freed of London shoes are handcrafted in the UK and today the brand is available in over 50 countries. While Freed began in a basement in Covent Garden, it now comprises nine retail stores, seven offices, five warehouses, and three manufacturing sites. Freed of London was established in 1929 by cobbler Frederick Freed, his wife, who worked as a milliner, and an assistant. Freed and his wife had both been previously employed by Gamba, a London-based dance shoe maker. After several years of work at Gamba, they decided to open workshop in the basement of a shop in Covent Garden. Freed gained his first customer by putting up a sign that said they will make a shoe to fit a ballerina, not the ballerina having to fit the shoe. In 1934, production became too large for the store basement in Covent Garden, and manufacturing was moved to a small factory in Endell street. In 1947, manufacturing was once again moved due to the increasing scale of production. Freed of London transitioned its headquarters to a larger factory on Mercer Street. It was during this time that Freed started to become the prestigious and well-known company that it continues to be today. Frederick Freed retired in 1968 and the company was acquired by D H Sam Thomson Limited and Magdalan Shoes of Norwich. The three companies joined together and continued to operate as Freed of London. It was not until 1985 that Freed began manufacturing dance apparel. In 1993, the company became a wholly owned subsidiary of Japanese apparel company Onward Kashiyama. The Freed corporate headquarters and manufacturing facilities were retained after the acquisition and continue to operate at their original location in London. More information...
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