How to Become Footwear Designer: Career Guide, Courses, After 12th, Jobs, Scope, Salary

Quick Facts about Footwear Designer

The following are the list of some of the quick facts listed below for career as a Footwear Designer

What Does a Footwear Designer do?

A footwear designer is in charge of the overall design of any footwear. A footwear designer's job description includes responsibilities such as sketching out a new design, deciding which type of fabric to use, developing innovative designs for the organization, and implementing a manufacturing plan. A footwear designer must be creative and understand design paradigms. A few of the duties or responsibilities that are a part Footwear Designer job description has been listed below:

• Visualizing the idea and extensive research on ideas
• Testing different materials which can be used for the design and how to use such materials.
• Communicating with the customers and supplies. It is an important facet of the job as it helps the designer to have clarity on what kind of design he/she intends to make.
• Sketching out the idea on paper or by using any computer software.
• Coordinating with the design and production team, design manager, and sales manager to channelize the idea and ease the process of production.
• To decide and list out the requirements as per the demand and season.
• Manage all communication regarding design specification and compliance to the same in the manufacturing unit.
• To develop strategies and action plans for the products and their production.
• Display the ideas and designs to potential consumers before launching them in the market.
• Attend fashion events

How to Become a Footwear Designer: Steps to Follow 

There are some simple yet important steps to that a candidates can take in order to become a Footwear Designer

Decision Making

Footwear Designing is a career path for those who are passionate about footwear and everything related to it. Before taking up a career in design, it is important to understand one’s interest in art and creativity. If you enjoy fashion and have a strong desire to transform your ideas into fashionable footwear, this is the course for you. A career in footwear designing is very unconventional and not very explored so the candidate should understand the patience and hard work it would require to ensure growth in this field.

Subject Choices

A candidate from any stream can take up a Footwear designing course at the bachelor’s level. There is no specific subject combination that must be pursued from schooling days. However, for certain courses like B.Tech in Footwear Technology, the candidate must have passed 12th with Mathematics, Chemistry, and Physics as main subjects.

Entrance Exam Preparation

Several entrance exams are conducted in the country for admission into various courses on Footwear designing. Some of the reputed entrance exams are the All India Entrance Examination for Design (AIEED), Common Entrance Examination for Design (CEED), Footwear Design and Development Institute (FDDI), NIFT Entrance Exam. The candidate must follow the course syllabus for these entrance exams and prepare oneself accordingly.

Selecting Correct Colleges

The candidate needs to do thorough research on what college shall be appropriate for pursuing a course on Footwear designing. There are several colleges on design and fashion but only a few colleges provide courses on footwear. Thus, the candidate must look for the right college before applying.

After Qualifying Exam

After qualifying for the exam, the candidates will appear for the counseling process after which they shall be admitted to the college. The 3-year undergraduate course consists of several theoretical and practical classes which must be attended with serious dedication and discipline. The candidates must apply for internships with different organizations for a better understanding of the practical aspect of the course.

Types of Footwear Designers

Entering this field allows you to work for a footwear manufacturer, brand, or retailer. At both the junior and executive levels, one can also perform for footwear companies on specific projects, sportswear companies, and designer labels.

The following are some of the possible job profiles for a Footwear Designer:

Footwear Developer

• Footwear Developers are in charge of managing and carrying out the footwear development process. From the collection of insights, they collaborate with cross-functional product creation teams to achieve products that exceed consumers' expectations.
• Other critical responsibilities include understanding production capacity, solving problems, and timely resolution.
• They collaborate closely with the footwear designer to launch and develop footwear designs.
• Their role is to work with material suppliers, agents, and factories to create collection plans based on price targets, seasonal needs, and previous sales data.

Footwear Designer 

• A footwear designer visualizes, designs, and creates innovative footwear concepts.
• They create designs, select materials, and patterns, as well as provide instructions on how to make the products they design in a cost-effective manner.
• They are responsible for designing the new footwear using the various effective designing software and also work with the other members of the designing teams.

Footwear Technician

• The main function of this role is to be in charge of the technical development of shoes.
• Footwear Technicians are in charge of making sure that prototypes/samples meet the required standard through internal and external fit sessions.
• They analyze the returned shoes and make any changes that will affect production.

Footwear Development Manager

• Footwear designers who have already spent significant time working in this field are typically hired by footwear manufacturing companies as Footwear Development Manager.
• They manage the specifications process and create products that meet or exceed predetermined gross margin targets.
• It is also their responsibility to communicate specifications and product details to the sourcing organization and suppliers.
• Product lines are managed by footwear development managers at all stages of the footwear development process.

Footwear Merchandiser 

• Their primary responsibility is to aid in the planning of the life cycle of footwear products for both retail stores and online businesses.
• Footwear merchandisers are in charge of planning, controlling, and monitoring footwear purchasing, intake, and stock to maximize sales and profit.
• They are responsible for planning and developing merchandising strategies.
• They collaborate with the buyers, suppliers and the distributors and analyse sales trends and negotiate price of the products.

Footwear Trade Analyst

• Experienced footwear designers with expertise in footwear trade analysis are encouraged to apply for the position of footwear trade analyst.
• Footwear Trade Analysts analyze and research market conditions for footwear products at the local, regional, and national levels.
• They are also in charge of conducting marketing campaigns to determine the potential of the product's sale and gathering competitor information on sales, prices, and marketing and distribution methods.

Retail Store Manager (Shoes)

• Retail Store Managers oversee day-to-day retail operations and staff, as well as monitor workflow and schedules.
• To be a successful retail store manager, one must be knowledgeable about the products sold in their store as well as any recent and future sales and promotions.
• Every store employee reports to the store manager, who reports to the general manager.

How to Become a Footwear Designer in India?

The following are some of the preparatory steps that the candidates must take at the various educational levels in India such as school level, undergraduate level and postgraduate level, in order to become a successful footwear designer in India.

School Level Preparation 

• There are no specific subject combinations or streams that must be pursued in school. Students from Science, Arts, and Commerce streams can apply for Footwear Designing
• However; one can always work on their art, creativity, and designing skills by taking different skill courses from school days.
• For B.Tech in Footwear Technology the candidates need to take up the science stream.
• The candidates need to take up preparation courses for the entrance examination such as the JEE Mains, NIFT Entrance, DAT and many more.

How to Become a Footwear Designer after the 12th?

After completing their 12th or equivalent examination the candidates can take up various courses at the undergraduate and postgraduate level. Most of the candidates prefer to take up the full time course as it allows them to have better career prospects.

UG Preparation 

• After completing 12th, the students must start preparing for the entrance exams for the various courses to take a 3-year Footwear designing course.
• After taking admission (subject to the qualification in the entrance examination). The candidates are required to pass their graduation programs with a good overall percentage so that they can take part in the college placement and get jobs in good companies.
• Candidates who wish to have better prospects in terms of job profile and career should start preparing for the various post graduate programs such as MDes or Master of Leather Technology and many more.
• The preparation for the entrance examination should start from the last two years of the course so that the candidates are able to crack the course. The popular entrance examinations for the post graduate course are GATE, CEED, NID DAT, etc.

PG Preparation 

• After getting their graduate degree, the candidates can either take up internships or jobs. However, some companies prefer to take candidates with postgraduate degrees if they require people to be part of the management crade.
• They can also start preparing for post-graduate courses or advanced courses as it would provide them specialization and would help them land a better paying and satisfying job.
• Some of the popular postgraduate courses are Master of Fashion Management, MDes, MBA, and many more.
• Candidates who wish to go into the field of research can take up a PhD course and start preparing for the entrance examination like UGC NET, JRF and many more.
• During post graduation one can prepare for the PhD entrance exam and solve previous year mock tests to get an idea about the pattern of exam paper.

Courses to Become Footwear Designer

In India different courses are available at different educational levels such as certificate, diploma, undergraduate, postgraduate and doctorate, that trains the candidates to be successful footwear designers.

Let us discuss the courses in details:

B.Tech in Footwear Technology 

BTech in Footwear Technology is an undergraduate course of the duration of 4 years offered to the candidates who are interested to work in the footwear industry.

The BTech in Footwear Technology course trains the candidates into the various aspects of production of footwear and the various tools that are used for the design of footwears as well as the different materials used in making footwear.

Eligibility criteria 

• Candidates must complete their Intermediate (10+2 level) or equivalent qualification with Mathematics, Chemistry, and Physics as main subjects from a recognized education board.
• Candidates must have a minimum aggregate of 50% to 60% at their Intermediate level from a recognized board.
• A relaxation of 5% marks is applicable for those belonging to a reserved category like SC/ST/OBC etc.
• There is no upper age limit for the JEE Mains entrance examination.

Note:

• Students pursuing a diploma may get direct admission in their second year in a B. Tech in Footwear Technology course. They are required to give the lateral entry examination of the stipulated states.

Diploma in Footwear Manufacture & Design

Diploma in footwear Manufacture and Design is one of the smaller academic courses that the candidates can take up in order to become a footwear designer in India. The duration of the course is for a period of 3 years.

The footwear design diploma courses are curated with an aim to consume less time and money of an aspirant. These courses instil the students with vast knowledge within a short span of time and prepare them for the professional world from an early stage of life.

Eligibility 

The eligibility criteria for pursuing diploma courses in footwear design vary from institute to institute and course to course. Mentioned below are a few of the requirements that an individual needs to meet before applying for the course.

• Aspirants are required to have completed class 10th from a recognized institute.
• Certain colleges offer admission to aspirants after they have completed class 12th from a recognized educational board.
• Some colleges also accept the graduation degree of an aspirant to provide them admission to diploma courses.
• Some colleges have a set upper and lower age limit that must be followed to get admission.
• Apart from these, the minimum aggregate to pursue a diploma course in footwear design might be from 45% to 50%.

Check: Footwear Designing Courses

Certificate Courses in Footwear Designing

Several colleges provide Advanced Courses in Footwear Designing. Admission is based on a merit basis and entrance exams are not usually conducted for these courses. The duration of these courses may vary from 1 months-1year. The eligibility for these courses is generally the completion of class 12th. Some of the courses available are:

• Basic course in Footwear designing.
• Advanced Course in Footwear Designing.
• Certificate Course in Footwear Manufacturing Technology
• Certificate in Creative Design and Shoe Making
• Certificate Course in Basic Shoe Design and Pattern Making.

How to Apply: Admission Process

The admission process the various courses at the certificate, diploma, UG and PG courses are done on the basis of either merit list or entrance examination. The admission at the certificate and diploma level are done mainly on the basis of merit list. However, the UG and PG courses require an entrance examination score.

The general steps of the admission process are as follows:

• The candidates are required to visit the website of the college where they want to take admission and check the eligibility criteria and the mode of admission (merit based or entrance based).
• In case of merit based admission
• The candidates are required to visit the college website and register themselves.
• Then they are required to fill up the application form with all the details. Candidates are required to upload the various documents in the required format.
• After uploading the candidates are required to pay the application fees and take out a receipt for further reference.
• If the candidates make it to the merit list, then they can confirm their admission by paying the admission fees.
• In case of entrance based admission
• The first three steps are similar to the merit based admission process.
• After taking out the application form, the candidates are then required to visit the website to check for admit cards.
• Candidates must score well in the entrance examination.
• If qualified then the candidates are called for counselling or a round of GD and PI.
• The college or agency releases a final list of candidates who have qualified.

How to Prepare for the entrance examination

• The candidates are required to download the syllabus from the official website. Then the candidates are required to understand the pattern and weightage of the various sections.
• The candidates must download the previous years papers and point out the frequently asked questions from various sectors such as general aptitude, arithmetic, reasoning, etc.
• Candidates should prepare a schedule of the different subjects and must look to complete their syllabus at least a month before the entrance exam.
• The candidates should take up various mock tests in the last month so that they can reach the desired speed and accuracy.
• In the exam the candidates should attempt the easier question first for safety and confidence. Then the candidates should check out the tougher questions in future.

How to Become Footwear Designer Abroad

Candidates often prefer to pursue footwear designing courses from the foreign nations. The reason behind this is that the foreign universities provide the candidates with better infrastructural support along with research facilities and of course a better payment after completion of the course. However, the candidates must keep the following thing in mind before opting for footwear designing courses abroad.

• University Ranking of the institute: Do extensive research over internet, online forums, friends, colleagues, acquaintances etc who have knowledge on university ranking of the said institute where you are planning for a course.
• Eligibility Criteria & Admission Requirements: Gather sufficient information regarding eligibility criteria for admission into various courses as foreign institutes are very stringent in terms of eligibility criteria. The candidates are required to appear for the english proficiency tests such as TOEFL, IELTS . The candidates are required to pass the GRE, GMAT, or SAT exam to get admission in Foreign Colleges..
• Other requirements: The candidates are required to submit letters of recommendation, reference list, and sample of previous work and proof of work experience. The candidates may have to submit the proof of their bank statements as evidence of their financial capabilities.

UK 

There are several universities across the UK that provide undergraduate, post-graduate as well as certificate courses on Footwear Designing. Candidates who wish to study in the UK should consider the following things in mind

• For undergraduate students, Minimum of 65% average in your four best subjects (excluding Hindi) in Standard 12. They may also check standard 10 results in English and Maths.
• For a Postgraduate degree, a Bachelor's degree with at least 50%-60%, depending on the university you have studied at and the course you are applying for.
• The average salary of Footwear Designer in UK is INR 35,50,121 per annum
• The top recruiters of footwear designers in the UK are Fashion Workie, FitFlop , Pentland Brands, Nike , etc.

Top Colleges 

Canada 

Candidates who wish to study in Canada should understand the various details that must be kept in mind before applying in any Canadian University or College

• In the cases of admission to the undergraduate programs the candidates need to appear and pass their 12th or equivalent examination with a minimum score of 75%. Candidates must have english in their 12th or equivalent level.
• In case of admission to the postgraduate courses the candidates are required to maintain a GPA score of 3.0 in their UG level . It translates to 83-86% on the overall score.
• The average salary of a footwear designer in Canada is INR 2,858,319.
• The top recruiters of footwear designer in Canada are Lululemon, ALDO Group, Aritzia , Jagger, Ogilvy, etc

Top Colleges 

Australia

Candidates who want to study in Australia should keep the following things in mind about the admission process.

• In case of admission to the undergraduate courses the candidate must have successfully completed an Australian Year 12 (or equivalent senior secondary school qualification) with a minimum of 50% average.
• In case of postgraduate admission the candidates must score at least 60% in the relevant stream. However, each college declares their own eligibility criteria.
• The average salary of footwear designer in Australia is INR 3,672,707 per annum
• The top recruiters for footwear designer in Australia are Designworks Clothing Company Pty Ltd (The PAS Group Limited), Country Road Group, Princess Polly, Yoke, etc

Top Colleges 

USA 

The USA offers a number of courses in footwear design that can be pursued by the Indian students. However, the candidates who want to study in the US should keep the following things in mind before opting for admission.

• In case of admission to the undergraduate course the candidate needs to pass the 12th or equivalent examination. The Cut off scores are generally declared by individual colleges
• The candidate has to maintain a GPA of 3.0 to 3.34 out of 4.0 in the undergraduate level to get into top PG level courses. Thus, the candidate should maintain a score between 83-89% in their graduation.
• The average salary of footwear designer in USA is INR 4,375,751
• The top recruiters for footwear designers in the USA are TOMS, Nike, KEEN, Adidas, Clarks, etc.

Top Colleges 

Benefits of Career as Footwear Designer 

Salary - A footwear designer's starting salary can range from Rs. 1.80 lakhs to Rs. 3.7 lakhs per year. The salary that a candidate will receive is determined by the company or organization where he or she works. After gaining some experience, this salary begins to rise in accordance with the level attained by the individual. Mid-level footwear designers earn a handsome salary ranging from Rs. 8 lakhs to Rs. 10 lakhs per annum on average. For senior level the salary may be well over INR 12 Lakh p.a.

• Job Security – This is one of the most underrated careers, particularly in India, but things are changing. People are becoming more aware of this career opportunity, and they see it as a viable option. Rapid growth has been observed in the field of Footwear designing. Demand for designer shoes has been increasing from both high level and small brands so there is a good demand for shoe designers and other job posts related to it. With a specialization degree, a candidate can always grab a good job offer. Reputed institutes like NIFT and Footwear Design and Development Institute also provide placements.
• Positive Impact of the career – There many positive aspects of taking up footwear design as a career. As a very creative field, the job never gets monotonous. To be in the fashion industry is always exciting. It is always possible to express one’s creativity through designing. With enough training at the ground level, one can start their own footwear line and be an entrepreneur.
• Higher Studies (if possible) - Employees can always go for short-term specialization courses that give you a better insight into the career prospect. You become more knowledgeable, which aids you in achieving finesse in your designs.
• Unique Experience – Footwear designing is an unconventional and less developed field of work. So this allows a designer to explore new ideas and dig into more aspects of the field thus making the entire experience new and unique than the regular 9 to 5 jobs.

Skills Required for Footwear Designer

Here are some of the abilities that every footwear designer should have:

• A proper understanding of the process of footwear designing
• Imagination
• Creativity
• An understanding of colors, patterns, and texture
• Good drawing skills
• A keen eye for detail
• Precise measurement skills
• Awareness of the latest trends
• A good sense of fashion
• Good with managing budgets so that the final product can be presented after being reasonably priced
• Knowledge of foot anatomy
• Open to criticism
• Self-evaluation and readiness to analyze the work and make alterations if needed
• Well-versed with computer design software (CAD)

Salary of Footwear Designer in India

A footwear designer's salary is determined by where they work. Whether one is employed by a company, works as a freelancer, or is self-employed/entrepreneur. A Footwear Designer's salary typically rises with experience in this field.

Specialization Wise 

Experience Wise

Note: The above figures are an estimate and may vary from individual to individual and company to company.