Bajan pop star's endorsement of trainers has fuelled a boom in business for the factory in the small village of Flimby
Flimby in Cumbria is the last place you would associate with Rihanna. Looking over the blustery Solway Firth with its wind turbines and the Scottish coast beyond, it is a world removed from showbiz glamour.
The unlikely connection is the Bajan pop star's trainers of choice – New Balance. The US brand manufactures its brightly coloured footwear in the small Cumbrian village, in a factory that has single-handedly revived the region's shoemaking tradition.
It could be a timely reminder to George Osborne, tipped to announced further export-boosting measures in next week's budget, that Britain can compete with China in a global trade where cost often determines manufacturing location.
Unofficial endorsements from the likes of Rihanna, her fellow chart topper Pharrell Williams and the designer Phoebe Philo have helped boost New Balance's sales, creating more jobs in Flimby, where the company began manufacturing in 1991. It arrived in west Cumbria, where jobs were scarce, in 1982, starting production in what had been the K-Shoes factory in Workington.
In recent years, business has been booming. The factory manager, Andy Okolowicz, presides over a 245-strong workforce that turns out a million pairs of trainers a year.
Production rose in 2013 and Okolowicz expects about a 10% increase this year in "cut and stitch output", or shoes made from scratch at the site. Output of assembled shoes – put together from readymade uppers and other components - is expected to remain steady.
That growth echoes the broader manufacturing sector, which is helping Britain's economy recover after the steep downturn exposed the country's overdependence on financial services.
"In recent years the keyword from policymakers has been rebalancing the economy, giving it a more forward-looking outlook," said Neil Prothero, the deputy chief economist at the manufacturers' association EEF.
Prothero added that manufacturing, which accounts for about 11% of GDP, makes up about 45-46% of all UK exports – a larger share than any other sector – with about a third of the country's manufacturing firms selling their goods abroad. "It's about manufacturing and exports versus consumption – manufacturing is an important step towards a more balanced economy," said Okolowicz.
Flimby is a shining example, exporting three-quarters of its shoes to Europe, the Middle East, Africa, China and Japan, and about 5% to the US. About 20% of its output is sold in the UK and Ireland.
Many of its workers were previously employed in nearby shoe factories that closed down – Bata in Maryport, or Millers in Cockermouth which had a 3,000-strong workforce at its peak.
"There was a ready-made workforce when New Balance arrived about 12 months after the Millers factory went – some had still not found work," said Jim Fox, 61, who works in the planning department and has been with the company for 29 years.
Now only New Balance remains, its banks of automatic stitching machines whirring away among bales of brightly coloured leather and racks of lasts – the foot-shaped moulds around which shoes are made.
"Large manufacturers such as New Balance play a crucial role in supporting the local economy by providing highly skilled and permanent employment for over 200 employees who then go on to spend in local shops, in attractions, on eating and drinking and taking part in local activities," said Councillor Mark Fryer, Allerdale borough council's executive member with responsibility for economic growth.
A glance at a list of the factory's workforce also illustrates how important New Balance is for the local community – Fox's wife, Jean, 60, a stitcher, also works at New Balance and has been there since 1990. And the Foxes are not the only family members to share the workplace: siblings, cousins, husbands and wives, mothers and daughters all work together, many clocking up several decades of service.
"Millers was big on that too," said Fox, as scraps of dark blue leather gradually filled a bin behind him. "But it had a bad effect when it went down because everyone was in the same boat."
Ann Ormond, Mary Graham and Ian Byers joined in 1982 having previously worked at K-Shoes, while sisters Elaine Wordsworth, 59, and Marie Donaghee, 61, are also among the longer-serving staff, clocking up 31 and 28 years respectively.
Key to the closely intertwined livelihoods of New Balance's workers and this small local community is overseas demand for the shoes. "In 1997 we had 126 people and we were making 8,000 pairs a week or 400,000 a year. That has more than doubled," Okolowicz said.
Manufacturing techniques pioneered under the Japanese "lean" system of continuous improvement have made a big difference to productivity. "The manufacturing process has changed – a pair would take 2-3 weeks from start to finish so there was a lot of work in progress in the factory. Now from the cut material the shoes are in the box three hours later," Okolowicz said.
Explaining why Britain can still compete with emerging economies as a manufacturing base, EEF's Prothero said: "For higher value-added goods you have to look at skills and the UK provides a high level of skilled workforce.
"As costs have risen relatively in emerging markets some firms have decided they want to retain more control over the manufacturing process, supply chain and their ability to respond to consumer demands."
While proximity to Europe is a boon for New Balance, growing prosperity in emerging markets such as China, and their evolution into consumer-led economies, also provides an opportunity for British manufacturers. "Ten to 15 years ago emerging markets were purely seen as low-cost markets. Those economies now view UK-made goods as a high quality brand. In some, consumers are willing to pay a premium for 'made in Britain'," Prothero said.
Okolowicz agreed: "Made in Britain is significantly important to our survival. With Chinese, Middle Eastern and Japanese buyers, they're buying the craftsmanship as well as the materials. The emphasis is on manufacturing heritage – 30 to 40 years of experience." An embroidered union flag added to some styles in 2010 has drawn compliments: "We're not complacent but it seems to be getting more important," he said.
But if British manufacturing is enjoying its revival, that guard against complacency is still vital, Okolowicz said. "We're competing against the far east. One of the biggest costs is training, which can take 12 months and cost as much as £10,000. For the first one or two months the worker is just training on scraps."
Leather prices are rising and Flimby's electricity bill has gone up from about £30-40,000 to £100,000 a year, hence the solar panels that now generate nearly 10% of its needs.
Okolowicz added: "People know that they can't afford to stagnate. We need to keep looking to better ways to maintain competitiveness because there's a limit to what anyone will pay for a pair of trainers."