Pointe Shoes
Frederick Freed started to handcraft and customize pointe shoes for professional dancers in the heart of London's theatre land, today nearly 250,000 pairs of Classic Pointe Shoes are manufactured in the traditional 'turn-shoe' method by Freed of London every single year, each one painstakingly handcrafted by a highly skilled maker. Two-thirds of all Classic Pointe Shoes are made to Dancer's specifications, which require accuracy to within 3 mm.
In 1996 Freed of London developed and launched the Studios pointe shoe range. This heralded a new era in pointe shoe production for Freed of London with the marriage of the latest manufacturing technology together with the history and experience of our founder. The unique making technique of the Studios pointe shoes ensures consistency and uniformity with every pair of shoes, while still encompassing the world-famous key features our pointe shoes are known for. It is the combination of skill, expertise, and dedication to the customer that gives the Freed pointe shoe its world-renowned reputation of excellence.
Ballroom Shoes
When Freed of London was first established, they became famous because of their iconic pointe shoe work; however, they are now a world-renowned company in both the ballet and the ballroom communities. In the early years, Freed of London did extend their expertise towards theatrical shoes. Still, it wasn’t until 1969 that they began to truly take advantage of their dance shoe knowledge and experience within the world of ballroom.
Due to the intricacy of the ballroom designs and the multiple components that are involved in just one pair of dance shoes, Freed of London decided that every line should be carefully handcrafted, which ensures a high level of quality for every single customer. With various materials - such as satin, leather, and glitter - and with a broad range of styles, components, and elements unique to every pair of shoes, Freed of London ensure that their makers can quickly adapt to carry out the making to a high standard.
Ultimately, Freed of London believes that comfort is of the utmost importance; however, they also recognize that each dance and dancer is different. They understand how a competition shoe (must fit the right aesthetic for the particular dance) differs from a dance step shoe (primarily made for social and senior dancers, which means they feature lower heels and more durable vamps). This is also the reason Freed offers a bespoke service too. With a wide range of different options and combinations, you can create the shoe that suits your personal style.
Over the years, Freed of London has had the honor of supplying shoes to the likes of Naomi Campbell, Patrick Swayze, TV personality Natalie Lowe and Aljaž Škorjanec for the play ‘Remembering Fred.’ Freed of London have also been able to supply dance shoes for various theatre productions and feature films such as ‘42 nd Street’ and ‘The Play That Went Wrong,’ Pirates of the Caribbean and Snow White and the Huntsman.
Just like every dancer, each style of shoe is different, and every style in the ballroom range has been carefully thought out, selected and made to best suit every single Freed of London customer.