FOOTWEAR DESIGNER COURSE

Explore the history of footwear design and its three main market areas: luxury and fashion, performance, and high-street. Dive into real-world case studies of major brands within these sectors and analyse how they approach research and design.

• History of footwear design 
• Main footwear market areas
• Case studies: Overview of major brands within the 3 areas and how their research and design processes differ 

Assignment #1 (Optional): Pick 1 brand from each category and prepare a presentation showing where that brand takes its research from (template to be provided).

Get an insider’s perspective on common design practices and industry-standard techniques across market sectors. You will also create preliminary design concepts using appropriate research methods.

• Common practice, standards & techniques
• Capstone project overview

Assignment #2: Begin your capstone assignment: Define your audience, then pick one brand and design a mini project for them. Put together a moodboard.

Dive into the key components of a shoe’s sole –last, outsole, insole, midsole– and sole construction techniques, such as cemented leather sole and cemented rubber sole. Learn design principles and how to sketch soles tailored to various market sectors.

• Shoe anatomy
• Techniques for soles
• Terminology 
• Case studies: Design principles for footwear upper design and how to sketch uppers for each type of brand

Lesson 4 will teach you to identify key components of a shoe’s upper, evaluate different materials and construction techniques, and analyse their environmental impact. You will also learn to apply design principles to sketch uppers suited to various market sectors.

• Shoe upper anatomy
• Materials overview
• Materials & techniques for uppers
• Timeless materials 
• Environmental impact and concerns 
• Terminology 
• Case studies: Design principles for footwear upper design and how to sketch uppers for each type of brand

Assignment #3: Sketch separate sole and upper concepts on the sole for your capstone mini-collection. Include moodboard pictures relevant to your design.

Where do great ideas come from? Learn where to find diverse sources of inspiration and how to apply industry-specific research techniques. You will then collaborate with your classmates to develop a footwear concept in a hands-on workshop. 

• Where do you draw inspiration from?
• Case studies: Inspiration to result 
• Research techniques
• Workshop: In groups, research different inspirations and come up with a concept together. You will then present it to the class.

You have your idea, but how do you transform it into a cohesive footwear range? In an interactive demo, learn to refine initial concepts, apply sketching techniques to develop multiple design variations, and evaluate functionality within different market sectors. 

• Sketching
• Demo 1: How to take the best ideas from the research workshop and develop them further into a group of shoes
• Building a range 

Assignment #4: Take the best idea from the research workshop/assignment and develop it further into multiple designs for your capstone project.

Explore the role of colour and texture in footwear design, from terminology to materials and finishes. Learn how to use digital and analogue techniques to create coloured design sketches with depth and detail in a live demo.

• Materials: Colour & texture 
• Terminology & archetypes materials
• Terminology & archetypes print 
• Terminology & archetypes technique 
• Investigate and compare examples 
• Demo 2: Techniques for colouring in your design sketches, including how to add shadows, highlights, and flare. 

Assignment #5: As a part of your capstone project, make a CAD drawing of your best sketch and make 2-10 colourways using the materials and techniques of your choice.

Discover how to create a basic tech pack, articulate design specifications for manufacturing, and evaluate prototypes through fitting and adjustment processes.

• Prototyping and testing your shoe 
• Example tech packs: Luxury & fashion
• Example tech packs: Performance 
• Example tech packs: Hight-street 
• Fitting 

Assignment #6: Create a tech pack for any of your preferred capstone designs. Hand in as part of your final capstone project.

Discover how to stand out as a brand. Explore this in comprehensive case studies, from analysing brand identity and evaluating how footwear collections align with broader fashion collections to design strategies. 

• Revisit established brand identities & traits: How do you differentiate yourself?
• Case study: collections that include footwear
• Building a collection
• Guest speaker: Performance

Now–getting your shoes made. Delve into traditional and automated manufacturing methods, the pros and cons of different production markets, and the financial aspects of footwear production, including cost negotiation and pricing strategies.

• Manufacturing process 
• Traditional vs automated manufacturing 
• Case study: Footwear life cycle through design, to manufacturing, to sale
• Where & when of manufacturing: Pros & cons
• Custom footwear vs. mass production
• Cost negotiation

Assignment #7: Present your capstone assignment: Moodboard, concept sketches, CADs/colourways, materials, 1 tech pack and 1 outsole design.

Learn to navigate collaborative design processes, manage feedback and compromise effectively, and apply strategies for working with cross-functional teams, including buyers and clients.

• Collaborating with other designers
• Working with cross-functional teams
• Case study: HYBRID BRANDS & COLLABS: Adidas Y-3, Adidas Originals and Wales Bonner, Nike x Jacquemus, Cecile Bahnsen 

In this lesson, you will evaluate your and your classmates’ capstone projects, give and receive constructive criticism, and reflect on where you could improve your own designs.

• Feedback & commentary on capstone work

Discover what’s next for you. Explore career paths within various footwear sectors, evaluate the risks and rewards of in-house versus independent design, and create a professional portfolio tailored to the industry. You will also learn strategies for marketing yourself and finding work in the field.

• Working for different footwear companies
• In-house vs. independent design
• Career paths & experiences 
• In-house design: Risks & rewards 
• Portfolio tips & tricks
• Finding work

Assignment #8 (optional): Put together your portfolio for your purpose: job searching or university application processes. Update your LinkedIn title and post and pin a project.

So, you want to build your own footwear brand – how do you do that? We’ll guide you through the key components, including budget management, production strategies, marketing, and sales. You will also gain insights into the challenges and considerations of launching your own company. Good luck!

• Key components
• Production process & QC 
• Warehousing and fulfilment 
• Marketing
• Sales
• Things to consider