London Mayor Boris Johnson tried his hand at sewing while visiting a new clothing factory in East London, and after a few attempts declared that he had made a 'codpiece,' a 15th Century pouch used to cover a man's loins.
Barry Laden MBE, CEO of garment maker East End Manufacturing, said that the company would frame the codpiece during the Mayor’s tour of the new factory.
“He was more than happy to try his hand at sewing,” added Mr Laden. “This launch helps us to promote our quality manufacturing service to independent designers and high street brands alike!”
Boris Johnson declared that the Bethnal Green factory was part of the “growing influence of manufacturing in London” on Twitter.
East End Manufacturing is well-positioned to benefit from the success of London’s up and coming fashion designers with short lead times and ability to produce batches as low as 50.
Owner Barry Laden is best known for his creation of The Laden Showroom, an independent showroom and retail space in Brick Lane promoting small independent fashion designers.
“Using local machinists, cutters and pressers and providing a service to designers and brands of all sizes who want the authenticity that Made in Britain provides is very exciting to me,” said Laden.
“We can provide jobs in this country, help the economy and reduce our carbon footprint by sourcing manufacturing locally and this is what I have created for clothing in the East End.”
Click here to view the video of Boris Johnson making his ‘codpiece.’
