Shoe / Footwear Design and Schools?

[lepeep]

Does anyone know anything about the industry of shoes?

I have a BFA in fashion design but want to switch my focus to shoes. Is it hard to get into? Do I need an extensive portfolio?

Anyone out there work as a shoe designer?

 

[leyla m.]

my best friend just did a summer intensive course at LoNDON COLLEge of FASHIOn just designing shoes.
she showed me everything and explained how a shoe works and things that you and i would have neevr thought of manolo, jimmy and co of how they ACTUALLY design their shoes i think it would be a good idea if you thought of doing a course as well to learn all the techniques
btw, she did a degree in fashion marketing before that

 

[lepeep]

I was just at London College of Fashion a few months ago taking a fashion design course. This was before I decided to go into shoe design -- but yes London is a great place to learn how to make shoes.

I'm taking the continuing ed class at Parsons which is very good too. I'll get to make a shoe and develop a portfolio.

Once I have a portfolio, I just want to know how to get my foot in the door. I've heard shoe design jobs a harder to come by than ready-to-wear design jobs. I don't want to work for a mass market company(like Nine West.) These are a few people I would like to design shoes for: Marc Jacobs, Micheal Kors, Vera Wang, Badgley Mischka - basically any high end AMerican designer (although I prefer EUropean design, I'm not willing to move to EUrope)

 

[Oria]

Originally posted by lepeep@Sep 16th, 2003 - 9:48 pm
I was just at London College of Fashion a few months ago taking a fashion design course. This was before I decided to go into shoe design -- but yes London is a great place to learn how to make shoes.

I'm taking the continuing ed class at Parsons which is very good too. I'll get to make a shoe and develop a portfolio.

Once I have a portfolio, I just want to know how to get my foot in the door. I've heard shoe design jobs a harder to come by than ready-to-wear design jobs. I don't want to work for a mass market company(like Nine West.) These are a few people I would like to design shoes for: Marc Jacobs, Micheal Kors, Vera Wang, Badgley Mischka - basically any high end AMerican designer (although I prefer EUropean design, I'm not willing to move to EUrope)

I'm a shoe designer, I just graduated from FIT in a 2 year footwear course, and honestly it was a waste of my time--and I love FIT, I just wished I would've doen Milan or London first. Parsons is ok, but I'd still stick with London or any of the schools in Italy. I swear I only learned theories at FIT.

But I have a friend in Italy whose been designing shoes for years, met her by chance and she's really been guiding me.

Anyways I'm attending a school in Milan, then I'll finish with my foundation degree at London's College of Fashion Cordwainers, my teacher in Milan got me in.

Then I'm moving back to Milan to do some internship in Venice.

I loveeee shoes, I've already been selling and making leather bags with a friend from Italy in Brasil and NY.

My next step will be to get into fashion design. I can sketch very well, it was the physical part I wanted of actually putting the shoe together.

I wanted to know if the London Summer program was worth it for footwear. I mean will you walk away knowing more or not.

 

[nay-k]

Oria,
I asked you in an other thread but here i go again.
Perhaps you could post some of your designs. I really love to see other peoples designs. That would be so great....

 

[Acid]

definately get well connected with somebody in a shoe company
i did work experience at jimmy choo and i learnt a lot about how a company like that works.......the people involved especially

 

[tealady]

Do tell, Acid! What did you learn that surprised you most??

 

[lepeep]

Oria -- Have you worked with any shoe companies yet? Is it hard to get a good shoe design job in the US?

 

[Oria]

Originally posted by lepeep@Sep 25th, 2003 - 6:53 pm
Oria -- Have you worked with any shoe companies yet? Is it hard to get a good shoe design job in the US?

Yeah I have but they aren't what I'd call the "greats" but it was experience nonetheless. Kenneth Cole, Xoxo, and Coach. That's about it for the US if you ask me as far as internship, hence my reasons for going over seas for the remainder of my studies. I'm still grateful for the experience though.

My professors helped me get the internships which I never used my designing skills lol. It seemed like everyone that went to school with me got jobs at Kenneth, Xoxo, or Coach. I hear conflicting comments, some say its horrible to try and work in the US, some say it isn't. I really don't want to work in the US, but I didn't like the job that was offered to me which was really a quality control person who traveled to China @ K. Cole.

@Nay-K, yeah I just saw the other message and as soon as I load some of my sketches I'll post, but they will be soo first drafts, I just dunno about the whole security since designs aren't protected.

 

[Acid]

Originally posted by tealady@Sep 25th, 2003 - 4:44 pm
Do tell, Acid! What did you learn that surprised you most??

the thing that most suprised me was how the design part of the business seems the least important.

there are far more people working on sales,PR,accounting etc.....
there are 2 main designers, and if they muck up, then the whole business suffers. but they dont seem to be under any sort of pressure!
of corse, they are very good at their jobs though

 

[lepeep]

Oria -- you should really e-mail me. We both like shoes and we are both Brazilian!!!

 

[Oria]

Originally posted by lepeep@Sep 30th, 2003 - 2:17 pm
Oria -- you should really e-mail me. We both like shoes and we are both Brazilian!!!

Eu não soube. Eu emitirei o E-mail...

 

[Oria]

Shoe Design

Schools for shoe design/accesories design. Here are some websites. Since so many people have asked me on the private message. I am posting it here for all to see so if you are interested check these places out.

www.ied.it (Instituo of European Design, excellent school Rome, Milan, Barcelona, Madrid, London expensive)

www.cercal.org (footwear/handbags finished products EXCELLENT school) San Maruo Pascoli (Bologna is closest) moderate fees.

http://www.lcf.linst.ac.uk/cms.cgi/site/ab...cordwainers.htm (London College of Fashion Cordwainers (you will never go wrong excellent school! and they teach you from start to finish moderate fees)

http://www.polimoda.com/english/eng.html (in Italy and works with FIT in nyc)

www.fitnyc.suny.edu (Fashion Institute of Technology NYC cheapest for good training in nyc)

www.parsons.edu (Parsons school of Design) has school in Paris and a few more places excellent school as well (expensive).

www.calzatura.com/web/arsarpel/spag/arsng.htm (good school for the shoe trade mainly teaches patterns but very very good school expensive)

Modapelle publishes trade magazines (very expensive if you're not in Italy or in the trade)

Collezione publishes magazines.

Ars Sutoria publishes many many trade magazines

Vogue Modapelle the cheapest magazine that focuses on shoes and bags.

Footwear news is a child of Fairchild publishing who print all sorts of newspapers weekly some daily like WWD. www.footwearnews.com

Modapelle also has a school that teaches shoes/bags design called fashion-institute.it check them out a friend of mines just completed their 4 month course and loved it!

I can vouch for Parsons, FIT, and Cercal. Out of them all I loved Cercal if I'm not mistaken Guiseppe Zanotti hires from there and even trained there along with Casadei. I am not definite on this but I do know they teach you what you need to know along with Cordwainers. The others I have gotton nothing but good resports on so it is up to you. Good luck if you decide to do shoe designs or accesories I wouldn't trade it, its not as glammed career but I love it!

I also know plenty more schools but because I only know about them and have no experience with them personally or through people I know I left them off. If you need any more information post here or PM me.

 

[Oria]

Trade Fairs for shoes, leather, handbags. There are many many more, but these are are the international scene. Which are the best to me.

GDS shoe fair Dusseldorf www.gds-shoe-fair.com

Micam Shoevent Milano www.micamonline.com

Mipel Milano www.mipel.com

Le cuir Paris www.lecuiraparis.com

Semana International Madrid www.modacalzado.ifema.es

Lineapelle Bologna www.lineapelle-fair.it

Pitti Uomo Firenze www.pittimmagine.com

Fashion Shoe and Leather Goods Bologna www.bolognafiere.it

Pielespana Barcelona www.pielespana.com

 

[mouko]

I got into fashion design mainly because I'm vegan and vegan clothing are very horribly designed. I'm currently going to start parsons in the fall 2005, I was studying fashion design at academy of art in san fran for about 3 years and took a year off to work but now i'm heading back.

I didn't really see parsons having any courses in footwear, I was wondering what was a good school to do footwear design? I'm doing menswear and I'm really interested in creating non-leather alternatives to dress shoes and boots that don't look horrid like most do, any suggestions on what schools I should look into?

Any info would be appreciated.

 

[luxmode]

I read a few years ago that Kari Sigerson + Miranda Morrison went to FIT,
so they probably have an accessory design division. Their designs are
amazing...perfect form and structure. Good luck to you...I'm a vegetarian
and would LOVE to have better choices for footwear!!!!!!!!!!

 

[mouko]

Sorry I just rechecked the parsons site and found shoe design, but it seems to be only one course. Anyways, I'll look into FIT more too.

 

[EdK]

you already got accepted and decided to go to parsons?

 

[mouko]

Yes I was accepted to parsons and i'm set on going there..I'm basically thinking of learning footwear/accessory design after parsons and I kinda want to see what's out there.

 

[Spacemiu]

I would think Italy would be the place to go for footwear.