Footwear & Accessory Design

Students will learn the complete process of making bags, from design concept, pattern drafting, construction techniques, material manipulation, prototype making, to final product. Five different constructions will be covered and you will create a design portfolio containing a multi-piece collection of your own making.

Learn to take your creations to market as a footwear and accessory entrepreneur. Develop business plans that explain how you will develop, market, and sell your own product lines under independent labels or brands. Gain an understanding of entrepreneurial skills like identifying market opportunities, product differentiation, and marketing new products and brands in the retail environment.

Learn the complete process of shoe making. You will apply a design process—including concept research, sketching, range building, and specification sheets—to design your own footwear constructions. Once you’ve mastered the design process, you will bring your designs to life, producing 3 different footwear constructions. Various aspects of the shoe industry, including handmade footwear, product development and testing, specification and technical sheets, and trade shows will also be taught.

You will become a leather expert. In addition to learning the specialized techniques used to produce leather goods using industry standard equipment, you will learn to identify various types of leather and the best ways to work with them. Once you know your leather, you will create a variety of bag patterns and constructions.