Develop your skills on the Footwear Pattern Cutting Short Course
- Written byLoana Rondot
- Published date 21 October 2024
Share story
An introduction to Footwear Pattern Cutting
Footwear pattern cutting blends artistry with technical skill, transforming design ideas into functional patterns that shape the structure and fit of a shoe. It involves careful attention to every component—from the upper to the sole—ensuring that the final product is both aesthetic and practical.
To master this craft, you need a solid understanding of materials and techniques, as every design choice influences not only the look, but also the comfort of the shoe. As the footwear industry evolves with innovative technologies and sustainable practices, the skill of pattern cutting remains essential, making it a dynamic field for aspiring designers and shoemakers.
Learning Footwear Pattern Cutting at UAL
The Footwear Pattern Cutting Short Course welcomes beginners to the field of shoes and places itself as a first step towards a professional career in the industry. UAL Short Courses collaborates with world-renowned Cordwainers College, a historical institution specialised in the British footwear manufacturing industry. The Cordwainers Advisory Board, made up of key figures from the industry, ensures that the course stays relevant and provides students with skills that prepare them for employment.
Meet the Tutor: Nafi Mustafa
Tutor Nafi Mustafa, a lifelong footwear specialist, leads the programme. Nafi’s career started back when he worked alongside his father, a shoemaker, later gaining qualifications in footwear design and boot and shoe manufacturing. He holds extensive experience in the footwear industry, having trained in Italy and worked with the likes of Levi’s, Clark’s, H&M and Wrangler. Nafi founded his own design consultancy in London, which serves clients in the UK and overseas.
Kamara-May Coleman's Journey
In this exciting landscape, we had the chance to sit down with Kamara-May Coleman, an Apparel and Footwear Designer at ASOS.com, to discuss her experience on the Footwear Pattern Cutting Short Course. With a background in fashion design, Kamara-May’s interest in footwear grew through her work at ASOS, leading her to enrol in both the Footwear Design and Footwear Pattern Cutting short courses at London College of Fashion in December 2023 and March 2024.
How has the course changed your practice?
I see myself taking the skills I've learnt here and bringing them back to work to help me in my design process, to communicate with suppliers better. It helped me understand that whilst my ideas might be wild and wonderful, there has to be an element of practicality to it.
What was your experience with the course leader, Nafi Mustafa?
Legend. He knows his stuff, undeniably. And he will make sure that you not only have a knowledge of what you are doing and what you would learn in a class, but also how it applies to the industry. A lot of courses train you in approaching design, construction or pattern cutting in a way that's appropriate for education at universities. But Nafi really adapts his approach for you to understand how it works in the industry. So once you leave, you already have that industry mindset and really have a jump on other students in different courses or schools.
Any advice for future students of the course?
Come with an open mind. Understand that if you have these wild ideas, you can attain them. And don't be afraid to ask for help, there are really great lecturers here.
Kamara's top tips for footwear creation
- Think of an inspiration. Do lots of research on it, whether it be through shapes, history, previous designers’ approaches to it.
- Make your collages, your mood boards; pull inspiration for your lining, your shape.
- Start applying that to the model that you want to put it on, whether it's clothing or footwear. Do some sketches, collage your different shapes.
- From that point on you can choose to either go directly into a pattern, design it 3D, or just have fun with it.
About
Kamara-May Coleman (b. 1999) is based in London and works as an Apparel and Footwear Designer at ASOS.com. She holds a Level 3 Extended Diploma in Fashion Design from Fashion Retail Academy, a Fashion Design qualification from Anglia Ruskin University and Bachelor of Arts in Fashion Marketing from the University of East London.
Feeling inspired?
Our shoemaking short courses are the perfect way to step into a career in the footwear industry.
Explore our footwear courses and see how they can help you take the first step towards building your dream career.
