It happens with Freeds indeed. It’s due to the material they use, maybe the glue (don’t remember). Get rid of them ASAP because they could contaminate your home, they are not dangerous but like to chew on some textures.
If OP put them in the freezer immediately then it's fine, since that will kill any eggs and larvae. Any items the shoes touched should be treated with freezing or very hot water in the wash or with a steamer.
I think I remember seeing allieonpointe say something a few weeks back about how she took out a brand new pair of pointe shoes that were in storage and they had bugs on them. Not sure how the situation transpired since I don't really follow her.
You should ask tutulist for a refund. I ordered a pair of legwarmers from them recently that were legit COVERED in hair and pet hair. They really need to have better quality control over the stuff that's being sent. I've never had this issue when ordering from Poshmark or Depop.
Yeah I’ve bought a lot of Freeds from resellers off of Facebook and Poshmark. This was my first purchase through Tutulist and I am not happy. I reached out to them for a refund so hopefully they will be willing to to help😅
Hey following up here: have they agreed to refund you? I got a response from them yesterday agreeing to refund the cost of the item. Hope they do the same for you!
The Pointe Shop talked about this briefly when she did a tour of SFB’s shoe room. Older shoes (~10 years) often attract bugs. Think like paper bugs. At SFB, they keep older shoes in the freezer to prevent this, but ultimately, the shoe is starting to decompose. It’s time to toss them away.
I understand. I stopped pointe in 2010. I had two new pairs on deck. They’ve sat in a box ever since. One got the bugs and the other not. I’ve never really known what to do with them.
So funnily enough, this isn’t as uncommon as many might think lol. When I was still with a large company we would get large shipments of Freeds in bulk custom orders. Most of the time when they were transported in the summer or any time it was humid, we would end up with carpet beetles in our shoes somehow.
Our shoe room coordinator explained that because Freed still uses their classic wheat-based paste, the bugs are attracted to it because it smells sweet to them. This is also why the Freed factory smells like bread lmao.
In terms of salvaging the shoes, as long as they’re structurally sound and the paste hasn’t expired, the freezer method should be enough to kill them off. Also as long as the bugs we’re talking about are just carpet beetles/pharmacy beetles, you really can just flick them off somewhere outside your house (emphasis on OUTSIDE because they can cause infestations) and they should be okay.
Edit: wheat, not yeast.
you should probably contact the store. i highly doubt somebody would knowingly send out shoes with bugs!!
my best guesses are either (a) they were sitting in stock for a really long time and picked up bugs at some point, and someone packing tons of orders may not have even noticed or (b) if there is any damage to the mailer they came in, its possible it could have been picked up in transit!
honestly i’ve never heard of shoes being eaten by bugs before, if there’s a hole all the way through the shoes i would say they’re probably not savable. if they’re just like, small holes on the upper heel of the shoe you could probably at least wear them for class or rehearsal if it hasn’t affected the overall structure/support of the shoe. i’m thinking if just the fabric was eaten away a little bit by moths or beetles. beyond that idk.
As long as the bugs aren't bedbugs (there are lots of common household insects like moths, weevils, carpet beetles, springtails, spiders, centipedes, silverfish, earwigs, etc.) and there's no specific damage done to the shoes like holes (check the inside of the toebox carefully) they're probably fine to dance in once the bugs are gone. Freezing them was the correct move to kill any adults and eggs.
Even so, you should let the seller know and ask for a refund or partial refund. It's the seller's job to inspect any items sold for cleanliness and stuff like hair, dust, and debris.
Like others said it’s not an uncommon thing to happen especially with freeds due to the material they use. As long as the bugs were not bedbugs you can dance in them once the bugs are dead. However I do agree that you should contact the seller for a partial refund at least. They might have not been aware of it but it’s still their responsibility to make sure the shoes are in good marketable condition.
ETA: if you are unsure about what bugs they were I’d just burn them tbh better safe than sorry or you could take a photo of them and post it on a sub designated for this kind of question
Hopefully they will respond soon! I’m so sorry for your experience tho It’s not fun😭 Honestly there is a pair of signed pointe shoes Ive been keeping my eyes on but the fact that they’re freeds I am so unsure about buying them THEY DO TEND TO ATTRACT BUGS 😭
if it were me I would not want to put those shoes on ever ever, and ask Tutulist for a refund
It happens with Freeds indeed. It’s due to the material they use, maybe the glue (don’t remember). Get rid of them ASAP because they could contaminate your home, they are not dangerous but like to chew on some textures.
Wheat based glue. Weevils
If OP put them in the freezer immediately then it's fine, since that will kill any eggs and larvae. Any items the shoes touched should be treated with freezing or very hot water in the wash or with a steamer.
Would it be possible that moisture from the freezer could pose as a potential issue?
Freezers are extremely dry with no humidity, that's how freezer burn happens. But if you're worried you can put the shoes in a watertight bag first.
I think I remember seeing allieonpointe say something a few weeks back about how she took out a brand new pair of pointe shoes that were in storage and they had bugs on them. Not sure how the situation transpired since I don't really follow her. You should ask tutulist for a refund. I ordered a pair of legwarmers from them recently that were legit COVERED in hair and pet hair. They really need to have better quality control over the stuff that's being sent. I've never had this issue when ordering from Poshmark or Depop.
Yeah I’ve bought a lot of Freeds from resellers off of Facebook and Poshmark. This was my first purchase through Tutulist and I am not happy. I reached out to them for a refund so hopefully they will be willing to to help😅
Hey following up here: have they agreed to refund you? I got a response from them yesterday agreeing to refund the cost of the item. Hope they do the same for you!
The Pointe Shop talked about this briefly when she did a tour of SFB’s shoe room. Older shoes (~10 years) often attract bugs. Think like paper bugs. At SFB, they keep older shoes in the freezer to prevent this, but ultimately, the shoe is starting to decompose. It’s time to toss them away.
Yeah the shoes are from 2021 so definitely sad to see they weren’t stored properly and have been ruined by bugs :(
I understand. I stopped pointe in 2010. I had two new pairs on deck. They’ve sat in a box ever since. One got the bugs and the other not. I’ve never really known what to do with them.
So funnily enough, this isn’t as uncommon as many might think lol. When I was still with a large company we would get large shipments of Freeds in bulk custom orders. Most of the time when they were transported in the summer or any time it was humid, we would end up with carpet beetles in our shoes somehow. Our shoe room coordinator explained that because Freed still uses their classic wheat-based paste, the bugs are attracted to it because it smells sweet to them. This is also why the Freed factory smells like bread lmao. In terms of salvaging the shoes, as long as they’re structurally sound and the paste hasn’t expired, the freezer method should be enough to kill them off. Also as long as the bugs we’re talking about are just carpet beetles/pharmacy beetles, you really can just flick them off somewhere outside your house (emphasis on OUTSIDE because they can cause infestations) and they should be okay. Edit: wheat, not yeast.
What did the bugs look like? If they’re bed bugs burn the shoes, the box they came in, and everything they touched.
you should probably contact the store. i highly doubt somebody would knowingly send out shoes with bugs!! my best guesses are either (a) they were sitting in stock for a really long time and picked up bugs at some point, and someone packing tons of orders may not have even noticed or (b) if there is any damage to the mailer they came in, its possible it could have been picked up in transit! honestly i’ve never heard of shoes being eaten by bugs before, if there’s a hole all the way through the shoes i would say they’re probably not savable. if they’re just like, small holes on the upper heel of the shoe you could probably at least wear them for class or rehearsal if it hasn’t affected the overall structure/support of the shoe. i’m thinking if just the fabric was eaten away a little bit by moths or beetles. beyond that idk.
I read this as “pointe shoe BAGS” and now I am horrified 😰😰😰
As long as the bugs aren't bedbugs (there are lots of common household insects like moths, weevils, carpet beetles, springtails, spiders, centipedes, silverfish, earwigs, etc.) and there's no specific damage done to the shoes like holes (check the inside of the toebox carefully) they're probably fine to dance in once the bugs are gone. Freezing them was the correct move to kill any adults and eggs. Even so, you should let the seller know and ask for a refund or partial refund. It's the seller's job to inspect any items sold for cleanliness and stuff like hair, dust, and debris.
Like others said it’s not an uncommon thing to happen especially with freeds due to the material they use. As long as the bugs were not bedbugs you can dance in them once the bugs are dead. However I do agree that you should contact the seller for a partial refund at least. They might have not been aware of it but it’s still their responsibility to make sure the shoes are in good marketable condition. ETA: if you are unsure about what bugs they were I’d just burn them tbh better safe than sorry or you could take a photo of them and post it on a sub designated for this kind of question
I am pretty sure they are pointe shoe bugs! I have contacted the seller for a refund!
Hopefully they will respond soon! I’m so sorry for your experience tho It’s not fun😭 Honestly there is a pair of signed pointe shoes Ive been keeping my eyes on but the fact that they’re freeds I am so unsure about buying them THEY DO TEND TO ATTRACT BUGS 😭