New Balance unveils The Flimby Garden A garden dedicated to all the people who contribute to the brand's Made in UK
With The Flimby Garden, New Balance transforms its Made in UK facility in Flimby, Cumbria, inaugurating the first garden designed exclusively for the people who craft some of the brand's most iconic sneakers every day. Created in collaboration with London-based designer Bleue Burnham, known for his jewellery inspired by the natural world, The Flimby Garden is not a simple landscaping project, but a manifesto for a different way of understanding manufacturing. Adjacent to the factory that has housed Made in UK production since 1991, the garden becomes a space to slow down, step away from the production line, and reconnect directly with nature.
The Flimby facility is the heart of New Balance's British production: here, around 300 skilled craftspeople produce over 30,000 pairs of sneakers every month, helping to keep alive a manufacturing tradition that the brand has upheld for over forty years. A heritage built on expertise, attention to detail, and quality that has made the Made in UK line one of the cornerstones of the entire New Balance catalogue.
Burnham's design draws inspiration from the landscape of the nearby Lake District, and includes flower beds, wildflowers, and ornamental cherry trees that change with the passing seasons. Completing the space are bespoke birdhouses designed to encourage biodiversity. The Flimby Garden represents a new creative extension for Burnham, who brings to the landscape the same organic sensibility that defines his collections.
The inauguration will be accompanied by a documentary chronicling every stage of the project, from the initial idea to the final realisation, followed by a series of digital content featuring celebrated British gardener Monty Don. At a time when the word craftsmanship risks becoming little more than a marketing buzzword, New Balance chooses to give it a tangible form. The Flimby Garden thus becomes far more than a green space: it is an investment in the people who build the brand's identity every single day.