Interview with Jayne Bordoli – Freed of London’s Garments Manager
Interview with Jimmy – Freed of London’s Theatrical and Ballroom Designer
August 25, 2017
Interview with Bambos Stylianou – Freed of London’s Theatrical Department Manager
October 11, 2017
Jayne is the Manager of our Garment department based in Leicester. She is currently producing our recently approved Royal Academy of Dance (RAD) Garment range in Meryl, and has had a lot of influence into the look and feel of our Garments over the past 27 years. We managed to find Jayne with a moment spare so we decided to interview her regarding her influences, inspirations and more!
When developing a range, what’s your typical process?
Usually I get information from Sharon our Sales & Marketing Director, about possible new styles, we will discuss fabrics and colours, and I will make patterns and then sample garments. I will also work out the cost of producing the garments and we always wash and wear test anything new before it goes into production.
How many garments are produced a year?
Approximately 90,000.
Are there any projects in the pipeline for the future?
Yes we are working on a number of possible new ranges, we are constantly looking at how we can extend and improve our collections.
Talk us through Meryl, how did you finalise choosing the colours and cut?
Meryl is a beautiful fabric, it is very soft to the touch but it is also strong due to the high lycra content we insist on. We have replicated the colours from our existing RAD cotton range, this is so that it fits in with the RAD syllabus, but the overall effect is a more vibrant and luxurious garment. The cut is the same as our existing RAD range.
How do you size your patterns?
I never change the basic size of our patterns I want our customers to be able to buy the same size garment whichever style they choose.
What do you think makes Freed of London the most suitable brand for RAD Approved uniform?
We have an excellent relationship with the RAD, which has been formed over the many years that we have worked with them. All the components that go into making our garments are of the highest quality available, with the majority of them coming from British suppliers. Our operatives are highly skilled and have years of experience between them, this is reflected in our accreditation of ISO9001:2015 which is our management system for quality control. We also hold stock of all our RAD range of garments which means we are always in a position to meet customer demands.
How many people are in the garment department? What are their roles?
We have 11 people in the department including myself, and one lady who is at present on maternity leave. Everyone in the department is multi skilled, and can operate the machines or cover the tasks needed to quickly and efficiently produce our garments.
How did you get into the role at Freed of London?
I was 27 when I came to work at Freed of London, I had been made redundant from my previous employer, and my mum, who was a machinist here at the time, asked if there was a position for me. I was offered 6 weeks temporary work and I have been here ever since.
What is your happiest moment at Freed of London?
It’s hard to pick a stand out moment, of course, it’s lovely when a product the whole team have worked hard on is successful, and we have had our fair share of weddings and babies and celebrations over the years, but I think overall I am just one of those lucky people that enjoy their job
What’s the most popular clothing range Freed of London have done since you have been here?
Well I can’t really claim the Rad range as Freed of London were already producing that when I arrived here, although we have made quite a few changes over the years. We produce a children’s sparkly range which we change on a regular basis, this has always proved to be popular. One of our most recent additions is a special addition skirt called Petra which is very popular.
