BLOCH

Bloch is a manufacturer of pointe shoes and other types of dance shoes, dance costumes, and dance fashion accessories.

The Bloch company was founded by Jacob Bloch, a cobbler who emigrated from Eastern Europe to Australia in 1931.^[1] Bloch began making pointe shoes in a workshop in Paddington, Sydney in 1932, when he noticed a ballet dancer struggling to stay en pointe and offered to make her an improved pair of shoes. Later, he made custom ballet shoes for Tamara Toumanova, David Lichine, Helene Kirsova, and other visiting Russian ballet dancers. With the expanding popularity of his product, Bloch began selling his pointe shoes throughout Australia.

The company has since expanded its product line with the addition of dance and street apparel and accessories.^[1] Today, Bloch's corporate headquarters are located in Sydney, Australia, with a European head office in London. It operates one flagship store and 14 other stores across Australia, one store in London, one in Paris and one in Amsterdam; all other sales are conducted through independent retailers.