Shoe designing is a career that people haven’t heard much about. We don’t hear people we know say, “I want to know how to become a shoe designer.” Although it might not be something you may have heard much about, the career of a shoe designer is actually quite promising.
Shoes are one such product that we absolutely cannot live without. Don’t you agree? We use shoes every day, we use different kinds of shoes depending on the occasion. At home, we need comfy slippers, we need good shoes while going to school, we need sports shoes to play with, we need fancy footwear if we are going to a function or a party, and so on.
Read this blog if you want to know how to become a Shoe Designer, what skills you need, which courses you can take, and much more!
Who Is A Shoe Designer?
Being a shoe designer doesn’t just mean taking care of how visually appealing a shoe is. Shoe designing has got to do with looking at the needs of your customer and making a shoe that is comfortable for them. What may be comfortable for one customer may not be the same for another. That is why, as a designer, you must know what are the needs of your customer.
Learn more: How to become an effective Product Manager
How To Become A Shoe Designer?
Step 1: Stream Selection
After 10th, pick a stream depending on the course and university you want to get into. These days, many institutes require you to have a Science background in order to get admission into the design field. Therefore, check the requirements before taking admission.
Step 2: Certificate and Project Courses
If you want to know how to become a Shoe Designer, here are a few certificate courses you can consider taking.
- Certificate Courses For Shoe Designers
Course Name | Duration |
Basic Course in Footwear Designing | 2 Months |
Advanced Course in Footwear Designing | 4 Months |
Certificate Course in Footwear Manufacturing Technology | 1 Month |
Certificate in Creative Design and Shoe Making | 1 Month |
Certificate Course in Basic Shoe Design & Pattern Making | 1 Month- 6 Month |
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Step 3: Educational Qualifications
How To Become A Shoe Designer After 10th?
As soon as you realize that you want to become a Shoe Designer, you must start preparing for entrance exams to get into top-notch colleges for your undergraduate program. Since students appear for the entrance exam after passing 12th, most of them start preparing for the entrance tests right after 10th.
This is also the time for you to acquire the skills that will help you when you start with your graduation and during your working years, such as learning to operate designing software.
You can take the 3 years Diploma in Leather Goods and Footwear Technology after completing 10th.
How To Become A Shoe Designer After 12th?
You can pursue a career in Product Designing either by earning a bachelor’s degree in the B.Des course or any diploma designing course. These programs normally last three to four years.
- Diploma Courses For Shoe Designers In India
Course Name | Duration |
Diploma in Footwear Production | 1 Year |
Diploma in Footwear Technology | 3 Years |
Diploma in Footwear Manufacture & Design | 1 Year |
- Undergraduate Courses to become a Shoe Designer In India
Course Name | Duration |
B.Des. in Footwear Design and Production | 4 Years |
B.Des. in Leather Goods and Accessories Design | 4 Years |
B.Sc. in Footwear Technology | 3 Years |
B.Sc in Accessory Design (Jewellery & Footwear) | 3 Years |
- Top Colleges to become a Shoe Designing in India
- Central Footwear Training Institute (CFTI), Chennai
- Alagappa Institute of Technology, Chennai
- National Institute of Fashion Technology, Bangalore
- National Institute of Fashion Technology, Delhi
- BD Somani Institute Of Art And Fashion Technology, Mumbai
- Hamstech Institute of Fashion & Interior Design, Hyderabad
- Central Footwear Training Institute, Agra
- Footwear Design and Development Institute (FDDI), Noida
- Inter National Institute of Fashion and Interior Design, Hyderabad
- Parul University. Vadodra
- Undergraduate Courses For Shoe Designers Abroad
Course Name | Duration |
BA (Hons) Cordwainers Footwear: Product Design and Innovation | 3-4 years |
Bachelor’s in Footwear Design | 3 years |
BFA in Fashion Accessories Design | 4 years |
Bachelors in Footwear and Accessories | 3 years |
Bachelors in Fashion and Accessories | 3 years |
Bachelors in Fashion | 3 years |
Bachelors in Surface Design | 3 years |
- Top Colleges to become a Shoe Designing Abroad
- Accademia del Lusso School of Fashion and Design, Italy
- Istituto Modartech, Italy
- University of the Arts, London, UK
- De Montfort University, UK
- College for Creative Studies, USA
- University of Northampton, UK
- Nottingham Trent University, UK
- Coventry University, UK
- University of Huddersfield, UK
Know more: How to become a Product Designer
Step 4: Job Preparation
This is true for any design career. If you want to become a designer, one of the most important things you need to do is gain experience in your field. Therefore, take up internships and learn as much as you can. Your undergraduate program may not teach you everything.
If you get the opportunity to enroll in extra courses to enhance your designing skills, make sure to sign up for them.
Create a portfolio: Preserve everything you created and build your portfolio over the years. This will prove to be an invaluable asset when you start applying for jobs.
Learn to operate software: Everything has become digital today. Gone are the days when we would produce everything on paper. In this digital age, you must learn to operate software such as Photoshop, Illustrator, Autocad, etc.
It is best that you learn these software applications while preparing for your entrance exams.
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Skills Required To Become A Shoe Designer
- Photoshop
- Fashion Trends
- Engineering Designs
- New Concepts
- New merchandise
- Store Management
- Visualizing, Brainstorming, and Researching design ideas
- Communicating with customers and suppliers
- Understanding different footwear materials and their usage
- Sketching ideas by hand or using computer programs
- Working closely with the design team
- Analyzing requirements as per season
- Developing strategies for all products
How much do Shoe Designers earn in India?
Footwear Designers with less than 1-year experience to 16 years in India earn salaries between Rs. 0.2 Lakhs to Rs. 9.2 Lakhs, with an average annual salary of Rs. 4.0 Lakhs.
How much do Shoe Designers earn abroad?
Country | Salary |
USA | $82,477 |
UK | £35,000 |
Italy | €24,942 |
Canada | CA$92,696 |
Australia | $65,000 |
New Zealand | NZ$58988 |
Top Recruiters For Shoe Designers In India
- Action Shoes
- Adidas
- Bata
- Camper
- Converse
- Crocs
- Flex
- Inc 5
- Lee Cooper
- Liberty Group
Top Recruiters For Shoe Designers In India
- Nike
- Puma
- Vans
- Reebok
- Adidas
- Allen Solly
- Zara
- Lavie
- Dorothy Perkins
- Mango
We hope this blog helped you to gain a better understanding of the field of Footwear Design, what you should study, the skills you need to acquire, and everything you need to know about how to become a Shoe Designer. Good luck!
FAQs related to how to become a Shoe Designer
Is it hard to design shoes?
Making your own pair of shoes at home is definitely doable, albeit it can be a somewhat challenging process in untrained hands. To manufacture shoes, you must acquire the necessary supplies, cast your feet, cut the shoe’s component parts to size, join the pieces, and complete the design.
How do I start my own shoe line?
Get training and experience in fashion design.
How Can I Launch My Own Shoe Company?
Choose Your Sales Platform and Niche.
Plan your business.
Establish Your Brand.
Select a company name.
legal entity registration
Finances for Your Shoe Line.
Create Your Team: Drawings and Shoe Designs
Produce prototypes and materials analysis
Trademarks and Patents
Production: How Do You Have Shoes Made?
Distribution and Packaging
Create a marketing and sales strategy.
How much money does it cost to make a pair of shoes?
Cost Analysis for a $100 pair of Nike shoes. The breakdown of actual costs comes to $28.50. On a $100 pair of sneakers, Nike thus makes a profit of $21.50.
How long does it take to design a shoe?
It’s time to start learning how to actually make shoes now that you know how to become a sneaker designer and the essential tools every aspiring shoe designer should possess. The entire procedure, which requires numerous individuals and components, lasts about 18 months.
How much money do you need to start a shoe business?
Initial inventory for a smaller shop might cost as much as 40L INR, and grand opening marketing can cost around 4L INR. Because shoes can be expensive, many of these costs are substantial. You should budget 2L INR for the first costs of your insurance.
How to become a shoe designer without a degree?
It’s also not required to have a degree in fashion design to be a good shoe designer, although it can help when looking for internships and getting a job in the field. In fact, the majority of businesses favor designers with a strong background in footwear design from a renowned institution.
What is the role of a shoe designer?
A footwear designer envisions and creates new items; they stay current on evolving trends, designing the correct product at the right time to satisfy customer needs; and they frequently adhere to a design brief in accordance with production constraints and branding requirements.
How much does a Shoe Designer earn?
Footwear Designers with less than 1-year experience to 16 years in India earn salaries between Rs. 0.2 Lakhs to Rs. 9.2 Lakhs, with an average annual salary of Rs. 4.0 Lakhs.