Everything you need to know about: Jochie&Freaks

Jochie&Freaks is a baby and children's shoe manufacturer from the Netherlands that stands for tradition, craftsmanship and good fits. Since 1951, the brand has been designing and producing fun and cheerful designs for the healthy development of children's feet under the slogan “Happy essentials”.

Origins

In 1951, brothers-in-law Jo Broers from Rijen and Chiel Aarts from Gilze in the Netherlands founded the baby shoe factory Jochie. The name of their company derived from the combination of their two first names. In the 1990s, the brand was expanded to Jochie&Freaks when the label Freaks was introduced to include the production of shoes for older children.

Evolution

“In all the years since then, a lot has changed and very little at the same time,” the brand states on its website. From the very beginning, the family behind Jochie&Freaks put a lot of passion and love into their craft - and that hasn't changed until today. By now, Chiel's granddaughter Joyce is at the helm of the family business.

Almost 70 years after its founding, Jochie&Freaks has decided to take a greener, more sustainable path to make the world a better place for all children. According to the brand, its shoes can now be made from up to 70 percent waste and materials from nature, such as rubber, canvas, cotton and recycled plastic bottles from the ocean.

News

Today, Jochie&Freaks children's shoes are available at more than 200 retail outlets in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany and Switzerland. The focus for the future lies on sustainability: starting with the use of more recycled and organic materials, the brand aims to become more and more green.