

Some companies have started to use 3D CAD software to design fashion shoes. leather and fabrics) and to apply the scanned textures to the design in order to create a so-called rendering, namely, a more realistic design that not only shows the lines of the style, but also simulates the final appearance of the shoe once it is made with the materials. Photoshop makes it possible to scan the materials (e.g. Illustrator allows turning the design into a vector file, which can then be easily modified. Some designers now use illustration and graphic software: the most common are Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Photoshop. Digital software for fashion shoe design Graphical software

This makes the technical transition from design to model easier and more precise because the design is made on the last which will then be used to make the shoe. Some starting from a last (the wooden or plastic tool used to make the shoe) and apply some adhesive tape on it or a plastic shell (tree) and draw the lines of the shoe directly onto the three-dimensional object. Most of these designers still use pen and paper to create their designs. Get insights on marketing strategies, shoe design and merchandising in our Shoe Design short course Many designers, however, have not studied fashion, but have learned to apply their creativity to the designing of shoes. There are schools that offer footwear design courses and are generally considered to be fashion schools. Traditionally, twice a year, although more and more companies are launching four collections every year, some even six and others churn out products continuously (such as fast fashion giants like Zara and H&M).ĭesigners who work for these companies usually come from fashion design studies or have been trained on the job. The category of fashion shoes can include all those companies that offer new proposals for each season. However, not all the shoes available on the market fall within these categories: just think of plastic flip-flops or children’s shoes, bridal shoes or dance shoes. I believe it is appropriate to distinguish between a designer of fashion shoes, designer of sports shoes (which includes hiking, trekking and mountaineering footwear) and a designer of special shoes, such as work and safety footwear. Different type of shoe designs (and shoe designers)
