If you love your shoes and like to style them too, then what better thing for you than a degree in footwear design that will allow you to fashion your ambition. Shoes have always been show-stealers and have occupied a larger chunk of both fairy-tale escapades (remember Cinderella, Dorothy and the poor cobbler) and a fashionista’s wardrobe. While magical shoes helped Cinderella, Dorothy and even the cobbler to find their way to success, remember that no magic will suffice if you do not have super creativity for the job. So if you are inclined to a chic career in footwear designing, then choosing a right degree program can get you marching towards a successful career. Read on to know more on courses in footwear design here.
Courses In Footwear Design
Course Details
Eligibility
If you are a fashion junkie and love to design your own stuff, then a career in footwear design can land you in the designer boots! Although a formal degree is not essential to pursue this passion, having a degree in accessory or footwear designing can position you for better prospects in this highly competitive field. Aspiring designers can go for associate and bachelor’s degree or opt for specialized certificate programs. While there are no hard-and-fast educational prerequisites for these designing courses, students must be high school graduates and should submit a portfolio of his or her creative work to acceptance. Some bachelors degree programs require an associate’s degree in designing before enrolling for the course.
Details Of The Course Curriculum
The coursework of footwear design includes a comprehensive training on the general theories and fashion trends and equips the students with skills and techniques required for the trade. The courses include:
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Athletic footwear design
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Design for costume or theater
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Computer-aided drawing
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Non-traditional footwear
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Patternmaking
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Leather manipulation
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Footwear design
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Footwear construction
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Boot design
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Fashion trends
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Fashion industry practices
Specialization
Footwear designing has surfaced as one of the emerging trends in the recent times. Students aiming to make it big in this industry can opt to specialized courses in the following fields:
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Outdoor shoes
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Nurse shoes
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Working shoes
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Boys' and girls' scout sneakers
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Ballet shoes
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Dance shoes
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Aerobic shoes
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Winter boots
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Skiing boots
Skills Required
You don’t really need to live in Paris or New York or attend any elite designing school to be a footwear designer but the right skills and persistence. Aspiring talents wanting to create a career niche in footwear designing should have a flair for fashion trends and a grasp of upcoming fashion trends. In addition, students should have excellent manual dexterity, artistic skills, eye for details, great aesthetic sense and a deep-rooted knowledge of textures and fabrics. Other key skills include creativity, imagination, good communication skills, computer skills and more. Acquaintance with the broad knowledge of textiles and materials, fashion industry, illustration skills, and an understanding of shoe engineering are all baseline skills required for becoming a footwear designer. Strong marketing skills, basic business acumen and a mastery of trend analysis, are important for anyone interested in starting their own footwear lines someday.
Career Prospects
The perks of being a part of a stunning, exciting and highly lucrative fashion industry are more than just a glamorous job in a sleek office. Haute couture footwear designers can pump up their creativity, expertise and earnings by teaming up with designer labels, specialist footwear companies, high street brands, sportswear companies and more. Those with business and technical skills can make it big by launching their own exclusive footwear label. The remuneration is quite impressive in this field and independent footwear designers have bigger chances of drawing big bucks here.
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De Montfort University, Leicester
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DNADS Institute, Hyderabad, India
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London College of Fashion, England, UK
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Fashion Institute of Design And Merchandising, California, USA
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Footwear Design and Development Institute, Noida
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Leicester College, UK
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Istituto Europeo di Design, Spain
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Central Footwear Training Institute, Agra, India
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University of Northampton, Northampton
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University of Wales Institute, Cardiff, Wales, UK
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Morley College, London, UK
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Prescott and Mackay School Of Fashion And Accessory Design, London, UK
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Polimoda, Italy
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The Fashion Institute of Technology, New York, USA
