Designing

Career as a Footwear Designer

Updated On: 16-Feb-2023

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A footwear designer is a person, who creates and showcases the design of footwear for various markets. They are kind of fashion designers, who are experts in footwear design, sometimes we call them shoe designers also.

Footwear designing is an important part of fashion today and some designer specializes in designing footwear for particular ages, genders, types, etc. like children, men, women, sports shoes, formal shoes or slippers, and footwear for senior citizen.

Footwear designing is a very creative field, every time; you have to come up with new ideas. Each type of category required a different kind of approach, like designing for children, designing for women, and designing for men, and what type of footwear you are designing sports, casual, formal, or slippers, etc.

Job and duties of a Footwear Designer:

Keep an eye on the latest trend in the market
Create design and sample pattern for different types of footwear
Sketching the ideas by hand or using the computer software( CAD / CAM)
Attend fashion shows and events
Research on new ideas and market trend
Making sample for present their ideas
Working with other designers on style and trend

You should have at least a relevant bachelor's degree in fashion designing or footwear designing. This would help you gain the design and technical skills needed to work in the industry.

List of courses for footwear designing

Get a degree in fashion / footwear designing

Learn the related computer software like CAD / CAM

Sketch a lot to get expert in hand sketching

Get an internship, which will give you a chance to work with an experience designer and gain experience.

Create your own portfolio

Create your resume

Start applying for the jobs

To get success in the industry one should have the following skills:

An interest in fashion and designing
Creative mind
Strong drawing skills
Knowledge of design related software
Ability to pay attention to detail
Knowledge of colour combinations and fabric
An understanding of footwear production process

This is a perfect career option for those, who have the skills mentioned above and have an interest in a career in fashion and designing industry.Normally it's a standard 9 - 5 job, but sometimes a designer needs to work for long hours or weekends too, to meet the deadline or to prepare samples for buyers or shows.Initially, one can expect the starting salary somewhere around 15000 - 20000. The international companies can offer a higher package also. After having experience, it totally depends on your experience, expertise, and the employer you are working with.Footwear designers can find jobs in corporate shoe retailers, and footwear design companies, or they can work as a freelancer too. With growing demand, varieties, and choices for footwear, the industry is growing, the number of companies in this field is growing, so the career in footwear design is going to boom.