The Shoe Designer: A Silent Trend Creator?

Answer 1

The first shoe design was the sandal and the designer of that trend has never been identified, but that simple design concept has been an important part of our culture for thousands of years. Modern shoe designers tweak the simple sandal design by changing the toe shape or raising or lowering the heel height in order to create trends that stimulate fashion lovers and tickle the imagination of shoe freaks around the globe. Shoe design is not about developing a new design, it’s about taking established designs and making them feel and look new. Shoe designers are trained as shoe makers first and then they enter the color-filled world of imaginary shoe concepts where any idea can become a silent trend creator for a generation of fashionistas.

The world of shoe making and design is made up of all sorts of clever shoe aficionados who understand the difference between a welt stitch and a portofino stitch as well as the difference between aniline leather and a finished split. Shoe designers chose between a single stitched upper with no fancy stitching and a two needle stitched upper with a fancy four cord stitch design and that nuance can make the difference between a hot selling style and a retail failure. A shoe designer understands the symmetry that exists between toe shapes and heel heights and pay close attention to the ascetic value of the shoe long before and monetary value is assigned to the style.

The interesting point about the art of shoe design is by changing a stitch design on the upper or adjusting the heel height or the shape of the toe by as little as an eighth of an inch creates a new shoe design. Shoe designs express detail as well as character and personality and it’s all done using shapes, colors, materials, and workmanship.

Shoe design is a simple art, but the complexities that surround the detailing of a finely designed shoe must be learned through experience as well as through education. There are several schools around the world that focus on the art of shoe design, but most shoe designers know they are destined to be a silent trend creator long before they are professionally trained.