Popular Career Options for Footwear Designers in India

A career as a footwear designer is as exciting as a career in fashion design. Every other day, new trends emerge, and if you have a desire to create something innovative, becoming a footwear designer is a viable career option. You can begin by working for a shoe brand and eventually establish your own luxury labels such as 'Jimmy Choo.' Footwear designers are individuals who create footwear. A footwear designer who comes up with trendy creative ideas. They used patterns, designs, creativity, colours, and other elements to add style to the walk. Shoe engineers are another term for footwear designers in some countries.

The scope and demand for best designing courses in India are at an all-time high. Students are exploring the creative field and are pursuing their interests and passions in their higher education. There are many top specialisations in design colleges from which students can choose, the field promises diversity and career opportunities in almost every sector of the industry.

Footwear Designing comes among the top design specialisations which is pursued by a huge number of students every year. Due to the great demand and popularity of the discipline, it is offered at many levels in the top colleges to pursue design of India. The scope of career as a Footwear Designer has been increasing significantly in the last few years. Check this article to know about the popular career options of Footwear Designers in India.

What is Footwear Designing?

Footwear comprises an essential part of fashion. Any outfit is incomplete without an ideal pair of footwear. Single-handedly, the choice of footwear someone chooses can make or break the entire attire. It is a powerful domain not only in the fashion industry but also in the day-to-day lives of people in general. 

Footwear designing is one of the most dynamic and demanding professions in fashion design. It comprises the detailed study of how to design footwear of various styles. Students are taught about the theoretical as well as practical aspects of footwear designing and the things they have to keep in mind while creating a new design for footwear.

Role of a Footwear Designer: In a Nutshell

A career as a footwear designer necessitates artistic input and excellent drawing abilities. A footwear designer must be creative and understand design paradigms. Footwear designers frequently work in an office and go to the market on occasion to buy materials. To predict future footwear trends, they must first study past and present styles. Footwear designers create original and creative designs for shoes and other footwear.

Eligibility Criteria to Become a Footwear Designer

In order to become a footwear designer, every aspirant needs to fulfil certain conditions. The eligibility criteria for becoming a footwear designer have been listed below. All candidates who are interested in pursuing the field and becoming a footwear designer must go through these prerequisites and check whether they satisfy the requirements or not.

• The candidate must have completed a footwear design course. 

• The course can be a footwear design diploma course, footwear design certificate course, undergraduate or a postgraduate level programme

• Depending upon the level of the course a candidate wants to enroll in, he/ she will have to complete the admission process of the desired college or university

• Some colleges conduct admissions on the basis of certain top design entrance exams like UCEED, NID DAT, etc. The candidate will have to appear for these exams and clear the cut-off set by the college in which they seek admission

• There are some institutes that organise their own university-level entrance test like Footwear Design and Development Institute (FDDI) conducts FDDI AIST. In order to apply for that particular institute, the aspirant will have to give that entrance exam

• The admission process of some exams is carried out on the basis of the marks scored by the applicant in the qualifying degree. Preference is given to students who have scored higher marks than the others

• Admission to some diploma or certificate level courses is given on the basis of first come first serve

• If a candidate is looking forward to completing a masters’ degree in footwear design, he/ she must have the required educational qualification from a recognised institute

• Having a portfolio of your work helps a lot during the recruitment process as the interviewers get a better understanding of your skills by looking at the kind of work you have done

• If students do some internships during their degrees, it gives them an upper hand in getting hired at some of the best footwear brands as they have some practical experience through internships

Skills Required to be a Footwear Designer

It is essential for a footwear designer to be equipped with a particular skill set that will enable him/ her in getting a good job profile. As footwear designing is an entirely creative field, candidates are required to have certain skills that will enhance not only their candidature but also their efficiency in the job. Here are some of the skills that every footwear designer must possess.

Also Read:List of Skills Required for a Successful Career in Design

Career Prospects for Footwear Designers in India

As a footwear designer, an individual can venture into many different sectors and job roles. They can easily shift between the areas of employment and find the most suitable job profile for themselves as and when they require it. Some of the most popular career options for footwear designers in India have been listed below.

• Footwear Developer
• Footwear Designer Career
• Footwear Technician
• Footwear Development Manager
• Trend Analyst for Footwear
• Trainer at a Footwear Brand
• Career as a Merchandiser
• Store Manager of a Footwear Store or Brand
• Fashion Technology Expert
• Product Manager Career
• Head of Sales of a Footwear Brand
• Product Department of a Fashion House (Footwear)
• Stylist career
• Assistant
• Career as a Professor
• Creative Expert
• Management Roles at Footwear Factories

Top Recruiters for Footwear Designers in India

Every footwear designer aspires to get a job in one of the widely known brands of footwear. Bagging a job position at an established footwear brand ensures the individual of a better and more secure career ahead. They also find innumerable opportunities within the company itself and get hands-on experience in whatever they do. Given below is a list of some of the top recruiters of footwear designers in India. It is the dream of every footwear designer to be hired at such companies. Most of these are internationally recognised.

Salary of a Footwear Designer in India

The salary of a footwear designer in India is based on different factors which include:

• The company or Organisation the designer is working at 
• Experience of designer 
• Skills of the designer 

The entry-level salary of a footwear designer is between INR 1.49 - 3.7 lakhs per annum. Footwear designers who are at mid-level earn INR 3.87 - 10 lakhs per annum on average. However, with the skills enhancement and experience, there is no bar in the footwear industry. The salary can also range more than INR 8 lakhs per month. This is also determined by the recruiter, company and prior experience.

Popular Colleges to Become a Footwear Designer

Here is the list of popular colleges for aspirants who are willing to become Footwear Designer:

Footwear Designer Progression in Career

Designers: Designers are responsible for creating rough sketches of footwear by hand or designing them using CAD software on a daily basis. They frequently run around looking for materials and other raw materials. They frequently work on the product's initial sketches as well.

Senior Designer: As a senior designer, you are expected to perfect everything the junior designer has created. He or she must also supervise a team of junior designers and ensure that they adhere to proper procedures and guidelines when developing the product. They are in charge of seasonal conceptualization and the creation of shoe design concepts. They are accountable for producing a product that meets both sales volume and gross margin targets.

Design Director: They are the brains behind exceptional footwear design. They travel abroad and oversee the entire footwear production process. A chief designer is also known as a creative director. Design directors manage design teams, develop and supervise design projects, and oversee design and branding projects for clients.

What is the Future of the Footwear Design Field?

The footwear design field has been growing rapidly ever since the comfort and style of customers have become the biggest priority. Students who are interested in footwear design must not take a step back thinking that this industry is still in the growing phase. Instead, the new generation of footwear taking innovations to great heights should be their first motivation to apply in any related course. 

Footwear is one of the significant styling parts and so is designing them. With the global footwear market taking over the industry, there are many stages involved in bringing footwear to the real world. From the type of footwear to different stages of footwear available for purchase, geographical distribution and material used and many more segments together constitute the footwear design. Today, online platforms are very famous among teens and young people and they are also the best purchasing option provided to customers. So, the future of the footwear design field is strong so take your step ahead today.

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