Explore footwear design as a career

By Richha Bhatnagar

A famous philosopher said, "A man cannot make a pair of shoes right unless he does it in a devout manner".

 

If you remember Cinderella's story, then you might understand the need and importance of shoes. The prince charming of the story found her girl through her shoes only.

We all live in a materialistic world where a person's outer image is defined by the type of clothes and shoes he/she wears. Footwear is the integral part of proper dressing. Bad footwear can destroy the look of your otherwise superb outfit and a good one can enhance it further.

 With the increase in demand and choice for designer footwear, the market and the number of manufacturing companies is increasing substantially. After China, India is the second leading country in the footwear designing.

Footwear designing is a dynamic field that involves creating new patterns and designs, keeping in mind the latest trend, changing needs and taste of customers.

 Footwear industry is broadly divided into three departments:

• Design
• Manufacture
• Marketing

Must have skills for a footwear designer

Designing footwear is not everyone's cup of tea. It requires passion, zeal, aesthetic sense, and a creative hand to design a masterpiece. One should also understand the anatomy of the feet to design a best piece of footwear.

A footwear designer must possess good sketching skills. It is believed that color and design of a shoe matters, but its size, fit, comfort, and functionality is more important. You should be able to understand the need and requirement of the customer.

Be it flats, sandals, heels, and so on, if you have above mentioned qualities and passion then there is no limit to the opportunities.

What it takes to become a footwear designer?

Footwear industry is very competitive. Footwear institutes impart designing and technical skills to students with the required conceptual knowledge. To begin the journey as a footwear designer, one must have completed 10+2 with any subject and for post graduation; one should be a graduate in the same field.

Scope of footwear designing

At present, the Indian footwear industry stands at Rs 24.1 thousand crores and there has been a growth of 20 per cent over last year. ‘Knowledge never goes waste.' If you have completed your bachelors in this field then you can start working as a trainee. If we talk about India only, then it is gold mine for any category you choose. In the last couple of years, the awareness for fashion has increased through the international fashion media.

Now, footwear is not just a need, it is a fashion statement. As per RNCOS, a market research firm, the Indian footwear retail market is anticipated to surge at a CAGR of more than 20% during 2008-2011.

Growth areas

A footwear designer can grow in any vertical. Be it manufacturing, trading, retail, wholesale, import or export, the footwear industry has a lot more to offer. This industry always demands professionals like management trainees, designers, stylists, product developers, quality controllers, footwear technologists, merchandisers, marketing executives, production supervisors and business development executives.

 Career Prospects

There are number of career opportunities within Footwear Designing & Technology, Merchandising, Retail and international trading industry both in India and overseas.

You could start your profile as:

• Management trainee
• Designers
• Stylist
• Product developers
• Quality controllers and Footwear technologists
• Merchandiser
• Marketing executive
• Production supervisors
• Business development executives
• Planning executive

 

In this industry, you can work on different work titles depending upon the experience and skill:

• Senior Footwear Designer
• Footwear Buyer
• Trend Analyst
• Product Development Manager
• Money

 

In the beginning of the career, you can expect to earn around Rs 10,000-12,000 per month. International players pay higher packages ranging between Rs 15, 000 - 20,000 per month. A Footwear Designer can earn anywhere from Rs 3, 60,000 - Rs 5, 00,000 per year depending on the job role and experience he/she possess.

Few well known institutes that offer higher studies in footwear designing are:

• Footwear Design and Development Institute
• Central Footwear Training Institute
• National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT)
• Exterior Interior Limited, Hyderabad
• Indian Institute of Design