Capulet World

Turning pointe for ballet shoes

The most radical redesign of the ballet pointe shoe in over 350 years is set to transform the health and fitness of ballerinas... and the fortunes of London manufacturer Capulet World.

The redesign has been made possible with the help of London's Manufacturing Advisory Service (MAS) and the London Value Chain Programme, both involving Pera on behalf of the London Development Agency. The new shoe was launched by Capulet World founder Michael Thoraval at the MOVE IT dance exhibition that was held in London in March. The revolutionary new pointe shoe combines his traditional manufacturing expertise and design with the latest intelligent polymer materials to produce a true innovation for the ballet world.

Prototypes of the shoe have already been tested by dancers at the Royal Ballet and the reaction has been extremely positive. The shoe is now entering full production to supply intense international demand. Michael said: 'Current pointe shoes are manufactured from hessian, paper and paste to a design which goes back to 1650. These shoes are notoriously uncomfortable and frequently cause long-lasting damage to dancers.'

'I have long had this idea but needed direction and support to help me realise it. The London Manufacturing Advisory Service gave me this - and the speed to development was unbelievable.'

London MAS Specialist Mark Dale embarked on the project with Michael in September 2006 and quickly put him in touch with material suppliers, engineers and a funding stream to bring the project from drawing board to prototype in less than three months.

Mark said: 'Michael knew what he wanted from the shoe but needed some help both with the development and the funding. The process of designing the material for the shoe was a complex engineering problem. We brought together polymers experts at London Metropolitan University, industrial designer Sprout Design and polymer specialist d3o. In addition, we successfully applied to the London Value Chain programme and received additional funding towards the product development costs.'