It's a Laaaaaaandan thing (It's a London thing)

Yesterday I went to visit a shoe factory in East London, my maiden UK factory visit. Just a short jaunt through the Blackwall Tunnel with Miss ‘M’ the little un in tow, armed with a backpack of play-doh, colouring pens, paper, comics, puppies and ponies in my pocket (other miniature animals are available) biscuits, juice cartons, spare pants and an oversized cuddly puppy (Miss ‘M’s backpack not mine I’d like to add) we were prepared for every eventuality. The factory wasn’t easy to find hidden within a sprawling Industrial Estate where you could buy anything from waving cats to welding equipment, my vision of a little cobblers shop with a back room quickly faded but once inside it was a little Aladdin’s cave. We were met at the door with a warm handshake, with the type of hands you only get if you’ve spent your life making shoes. The factory is a family run business and the brothers made ‘M’ feel as if she was one of the family. After settling in and learning about the brother’s history and their shoe factory I couldn’t wait to look round, these guys are passionate people who know about footwear not only do you get shoes made you learn along the way. They work with designers on their catwalk collections, high end retailers and new exciting brands, these guys produce high quality footwear which warrants the prices these shoes retail for. ‘M’ instantly made friends with ‘L’ who was hand lasting the shoes, sitting on a stool watching him whilst surrounded by half made shoes and the factory cat ‘Stitch’ (you know you’re going to love a shoe factory when they have a pet with an appropriately themed name.) I was able to do some developing and finalise some designs, in a lovely little room surrounded by lasts and leather- bliss, listening to the sound of banter and bustling sewing machines.

Anyway we were only meant to be at the factory for a couple of hours, but nearly 5 hours (and a tin of posh chocolate biscuits) later we were heading back home to ‘M’s question after question about the factory and whether as she’d been such a good girl could she have McDonald’s for her very late lunch. Well we had to have something to counterbalance all that GB pride and earth mother-ness. One happy meal and quarter pounder with cheese meal (yes I did go large) later we were both shattered but ‘M’ definitely had a full day’s education at the factory, she now knows all the many components, effort and hard work that goes into just one pair of shoes.

I wonder if they’ll let us go back and work again today?

Spk soon

x