As a naive 16-year-old, I was sent by my supervisor at Bally to the storeroom to collect a long “lasting” weight. In the shoe making process, the last is the mould over which the upper is formed; the process of “lasting” is an integral part of the footwear assembly process. As an aside, the word comes from the old English word “laest”, meaning footprint. To the newly employed Colin a long-lasting weight made logical sense. After 20 minutes, I was informed by a chuckling store manager that I had “weighted” long enough!
I love factories. A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to spend time with the Hanes team visiting their facilities in the Dominican Republic, and it reminded me of just how much I love the smell, the noise, the energy, and the sheer industry of a factory floor. It’s a privilege to connect with the workers, the supervisors, and the teams, witnessing the pride and commitment they exhibit as they physically create the products brands sell.
