Scope of Footwear Designer, Courses, Jobs & Salary

• Footwear gives an extra lift to the personality of a person. If Cinderella didn’t have the glass slippers, then she might have been another girl in a pretty dress.
• Footwear Designer, as the name itself suggests a person who creates designs for different types of footwear. It’s a challenging job of a fashion designer who has an interest in designing shoes going as per the styles for men, women and children, casual shoes, formal shoes and sports shoes. They mainly use the computer –aided-design (CAD) software or do drawing to form their own designs.  A person who has an interest in fashion, know the fashion trends, can draw well, this may be a good creative career for them.
   

A person who has passed 10+2 in any stream can do a course on Footwear Designing. For under-graduates, Diploma or certificate courses are also available. In India there are several institutes who offer courses on Footwear Designing.  Courses like under-graduate, post graduate, diploma and certificate courses are available. The duration of any of these courses are one to three years. If a person wants to pursue a course in PG Diploma, then graduation in any discipline is a must. To take an admission in a major institute like FDDI, one has to crack the All India Selection Test (AIST). Once clear the entrance test, group discussion and personal interviews are conducted.

Some of the major institutes were Footwear Design courses are available are as follows:

• Footwear Design and Development Institute, Noida, Chennai, Kolkata, Rohtak, Jodhpur, Fursatganj (near Lucknow), and Chhindwara
• Central Footwear Training Institute, Agra, Chennai
• Anna University, Chennai
• Muzzaffarpur Institute of Technology, Muzaffarpur, Bihar
• National Institute of Fashion Technology, New Delhi, Bangalore, Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, Chennai, Gandhinagar, Hyderabad, Jodhpur, Kangra, Kannur, Kolkata, Mumbai, Patna, Rae Bareli, Shillong
• Institute of Government Leather Working School, Mumbai
• AVI School of Fashion and Shoe Technology, Chandigarh
• Government College of Engineering &Leather Technology, Kolkata

The list of Footwear Courses that are available with their duration are as follows:

• Diploma inn Footwear Design & Production.
• Post Graduate Diploma in Footwear Technology.
• Post Diploma in Footwear Technology.
• Certificate Course in Footwear Technology.
• Footwear Manufacturing Technology.
• Diploma in Footwear Technology.
• Footwear Design & Technology.

• Footwear Designing has a flourishing career for the students, who have the creativity skills with good sense of design, marketing and manufacturing.  
• They can get hired in specialist footwear companies, sportswear companies or can also get employed with any designer labels. At an initial level a student get employed at junior or executive levels. 
• Gradually, with the experience, they can set up their own footwear label. They can also get employed as a footwear technician, footwear line builder, trade analyst, cost analyst, senior production coordinator or production manager, etc. 
   

• The person must have an interest in fashion and know the latest trends
• He must be accurate in measuring and work on each minute details
• Must have knowledge on the shapes and proportion of their work
• Good hands in drawing and can work on computer design software
• Can visualize the designs and work on it
• Good communication skills
• Knowledge on the materials, i.e. the fabrics and the leather and their uses
• Must have the knowledge and understanding of the footwear production process
• He should be able to work in a team
   

• These days fashion is not restricted only to garments. Jewelry and footwear has also become a major part of designing. There are several talented designers around the world who are taking Footwear Designing as a profession. 
• There are many youngsters who are opting for online or distance learning course before joining work. The online courses provide the students with training from the experts and prepare them for the growing footwear industry.  The advantage of the online course is that, that a student can do the study from the comfort of his home or while pursuing his full-time job. 

There are several institutes who are offering online course on Footwear Designing. They are as follows:

• The Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising, California 
• London College of Fashion, UK
• The Fashion Institute of Technology, Manhattan, New York
• De Montford University, Leicester, England
   

• Footwear Designing has become a booming career option among the young generations. The market is vast expanding and so as the job opportunities. Domestic footwear companies like Bata, Lakhani, Action, Superhouse and Liberty along with International companies like Nike, Reebok, Woodland, Lee Cooper are providing new employment opportunities.
• One can also do specialization in footwear designing after completing his graduation (details mentioned above) and can do their Master&
  • The eligibility criteria for a footwear designing course are 10+2 in any stream. Under-graduate diploma or certificate courses are also available were the minimum eligibility is 10+2 pass in any stream. 

  A footwear designer has to work from the scratch i.e. from conceptualization to its final end to create a shoe. They must have the knowledge of the latest design trends, concepts, patterns and materials to be use. The person must have a good hand in drawing to sketch the design or can use computer-aided design (CAD) software. As soon as the designs are done, a sample is created for the market.
  A footwear designer can choose any one of the areas to work. They are as follows:

  • High-end-fashion (Haute Couture)– The designs created here are mainly for the fashion shows for endorsement of the brand. They are often not practical to wear.
  • Ready to wear–These are mainly ready-to-wear collections, created by established designers in small numbers. 
  • High street fashion–Here, the designs are based on the theme for the coming season. Mass products are manufactured. Designs are created as per the season’s trends. Fashion shows are being organized and a celebrity catwalk plays a key role in this process. It’s mainly for the commercial purpose and media also plays a major role.
     
  • Footwear designing is a very creative and diverse field. Salaries are mainly decided by an employer depending upon his employees’ caliber, capability and experience. 
  • A fresher can get a starting salary approx. Rs. 10,000 – Rs. 12,000 per month. If a person gets a job in a MNC, the package will be slightly higher. 
  • It will be approx. Rs. 15,000 – Rs. 20,000 per month. An independent footwear designer can make revenues depending upon their work assignment. 
  • Entrepreneurs or an industrialist in this field can make heavy earning annually depending upon the size and the nature of their business.