Footwear Designer - How to become a Footwear Designer

Footwear Designer is the professional responsible for making footwear a brand name by his creative skills. Thus Footwear Designer has become most sort after career today with big name around like Swati Modo etc. By some traditional people it is said that fashion is such an ugly thing that it has to be changed every few months. This very statement has become a boon for the fashion savvy world of today in general and those who are planning to be join Footwear industry in particular. As this dynamism in the fashion world keep the professional in the fashion world always in demand for innovations in the various consumer goods every now and then, and footwear industry is one of the leading industry in this race. 

With the globalization and expansion of not only the trade activities but also the ideas along with the culture of multinational companies, the demand of Footwear Designer is increasing with every passing day now. Like every other cherished profession this is also providing a lot of opportunities to show their talent and earn money.

To become a Footwear Designer one has to be really dedicated, hardworking, innovative and positively critical.  The job of a Footwear Designer demands intensive foresight and inside depth of the field. For this one should have the capacity to work hard with commitment, open mind and honesty. The job requires a lot of hard work and adaptability .The most important thing that Footwear Designer should have is that he should always be ready to take criticism in stride as this is the major thing that can help a Footwear Designer to improve and bring new ideas into his mind.

To bring his ideas into his work in an effective manner one requires special training which can be acquired by doing the required courses of varying duration. To be a Footwear Designer one has to follow the below given path.

Eligibility to become a Footwear Designer

1. Educational Qualification

Pass in Senior Secondary Examination (10+2) or equivalent recognized examination. There is no restriction with regard to the marks secured in Senior Secondary Examination or subjects studied.    

2. Age

There is no restriction with regard to the age of the candidate or marks secured in Senior Secondary Examination or subjects studied.

How to become a Footwear Designer?

To become a Footwear Designer one has to follow the below given steps:

Step 1

Aspiring candidates have to apply for the entrance test taken by some of the good institutes providing diploma and degree courses in the footwear and accessories designing like Footwear Design and Development Institute (FDDI). However there are some other institutions which take the candidates on the merit bases or first cum first bases.Some other institute providing courses in footwear designing are:

• National Institute of Fashion Technology, Kolkata
• National Institute of Fashion Technology, New Delhi
• Harcourt Butler Technological Institute, Kanpur
• Northern India Institute of Fashion Technology, Mohali
• Central Footwear Training Institute, Agra
• Central Footwear Training Institute, Chennai
• Government College of Engineering and Leather Technology Kolkata, West Bengal

Step 2 

After getting the requisite qualification the budding Footwear Designer is supposed to join some established Footwear Designer  to learns the skill of profession while working with it  as a Industrial trainee for about one year or so.

Practical training provides an opportunity to students to acquire on job work experience of a professional nature.

After getting enough exposure in the field one can start his own business or can continue working for some big footwear designing house with good financial return.

Footwear Designer Career Prospects

There is a great scope of Footwear Designers now a day’s. Besides working for his own label one can also work for other brands. They can also enter the market as Trade Analysts, Product Development Manager or Footwear Technician besides being a Sales Representative for some branded company.

Footwear Designer Salary

After initial compromises on financial returns an established footwear designer can earn handsome amounts. Actually it depends upon the assignment taken by the designer and the footwear house with which one is working on. One can enter in this profession with initial payments of nearly Rs.15,000 to Rs.20,000 per month. Working independently there is no limit of his earning it may be from a few thousands a month and can be lakhs to said the least. It all depends upon the capabilities and marketing skills of the footwear designer along with his innovative techniques and forsightness.