Footwear Designer

Job Description:

Footwear designer provides product conceptualization, illustration and technical detailing of product, graphics, technical specifications and general detailing of product. They put their creativity to ct opportunities to work with brands and work with teams to make product reate functional and attractive designs for footwear. Designers usually gelines.

Salary: The middle 57% of Footwear Designers makes between $88,571 and $220,975, with the top 86% making $488,690.

Occupational Outlook:

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), job growth in the fashion design industry is projected to have little to no change during the 2020-2030 decade (www.bls.gov). The BLS also reported that New York and California had the highest number of fashion designers per capita in 2020. Shoe designers are likely to face significant competition for available jobs, with the best opportunities for fashion designers expected to be found in wholesale firms that sell clothing in department stores.

Links to Learn More About This Career:

Educational Requirements:

Employers hiring for the footwear designer job most commonly would prefer for their future employee to have a relevant degree such as Bachelor's and Collage Degree in Design, Industrial Design, Education, Fashion Design, Industrial, Fashion, Interior Design, Graphic Design, Product Design, Automotive

A College degree in the arts preferred
2-5 years plus experience in fashion related industry
Passion for baseball and/or American football is a big plus
Understanding of materials and their application to footwear designs
Basic awareness of lasts, outsoles, blueprints, and molds, and is able to complete a tech pack with minimal supervision
Prolific Design

Western Kentucky University

Address: 1906 College Heights Blvd., Bowling Green, KY

Website: https://www.wku.edu/

Information on the Major: https://www.wku.edu/ahs/fm/index.php

University of Kentucky

Address: 100 W.D. FUNKHOUSER BLDG.

LEXINGTON, KY 40509

Website: https://www.uky.edu/

Information on the Major: https://www.uky.edu/academics/bachelors/college-agriculture-food-environment/merchandising-apparel-textiles

Northern Kentucky university

Address: NUNN DRIVE

HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, KY 41099

Website: https://www.nku.edu/

Information on the Major https://nku.edu/academics/sota/art.html

Soft Skills, Characteristics, and/or Abilities Need For This Career:

Desired skills for footwear designer include: Industrial design, Color, Fashion product and fashion design/industrial product, Footwear manufacturing process, Technical processes and ability to address lasts, Blueprints and molds at a general level, Patterns, Product development, Textures, Material and trims.

Software Knowledge Needed For This Career:

Photoshop, Blender 3D, (basic understand of How to draw), Procreate, Adobe Illustrator.

Pros and Cons to Choosing This Career

Pros (Positives to this Career)

Creativity is integral part of the job*, Opportunities for advancement to chief designer or creative director, Travel opportunities for fashion shows or meetings with clients*

Cons (Negatives to this Career)

Most work opportunities are concentrated in New York and California*, Anonymity is a typical experience (most fashion designers, shoe designers included, are often unknown, even though their work may be highly visible)*, Irregular or long work hours may be required*

Typical Working Conditions For This Career:

long, irregular hours. They often work overtime before big shows and during season rushes. Work rooms may be crowded. Designers must meet tight deadlines while maintaining a high level of quality and paying careful attention to detail.

Career Researched By: Vaughn Simmons