The Complete Footwear Short Course
Course description
Course overview
Under the guidance of specialist footwear tutors Nafi Mustafa and design by Havva Mustafa, The Complete Footwear is a 20-week short course. It offers you a unique opportunity to learn and develop all aspects of footwear pattern cutting and making.
You will start the course with an introduction to footwear pattern cutting, including foot anatomy, size fitting systems and measurements using a range of contemporary methods. You will then, through a series of practical demonstrations and hands-on workshops, make three pairs of shoes. Throughout the course, you will build up a comprehensive set of reference notes and supporting patterns for all your shoes, cover information on suppliers and tools, and learn how to create and complete a sample specification to industry standard.
The design section of the course will teach you the fundamentals of drawing lasts (shoe shapes), heels and other components to bring your ideas to life. Using your own mood boards and colour boards to inform your designs, as well as shoe design theories, you will learn how to draw from various and footwear styles.
Students have access to the full range of industrial standard machines used in the shoemaking process. You will learn how to click (cut your leather by hand) and how to prepare and fit the many components involved in shoes such as linings, insoles, stiffeners, and heel coverings.
Who this course is for
This is a beginners' course aimed at designers, creatives, managers and entrepreneurs in the creative industries interested in footwear. It's also an excellent fit for individuals who are new to the creative sector or who aspire to work in it and want to learn more about footwear and design.
Key information
Topics covered
- Footwear theory
- How shoes are made
- Pattern cutting basics
- Pattern cutting for a court shoe, loafer and sandal
- Clicking and closing technique of a court shoe, loafer and sandal
- The making process of a court shoe, loafer and sandal
- How to draw basics for footwear - lasts (shoe shapes) and heels
- How to draw a court shoe, loafer and sandal
- How to create a moodboard and a colour board
- Breakdown of shoemaking exercises
The Court Shoe: Your first making project will be a pair of high heel court shoes, or the flat albert style slipper, which offers the best introduction to footwear pattern cutting, closing and shoe making. You will be sketching your design onto the last and making your pattern. You will be guided through the different types of leather suitable for your design before moving onto the making process. The tutor will demonstrate the skills needed to identify the different upper materials and hand cutting techniques involved in cutting. You will also be shown different types of edge treatments.
The Loafer: You will create a loafer that can be a high heel or a flat shoe, learning the base of the design so you can adapt it to your own style using various treatments such as a fringe, tassel, or a trim. This stye allows you to learn different pattern cutting and making techniques to the court shoe.
Flat Sandal/High Heel: for your third and final project you will have the choice to make a flat sandal or a high heel sandal. You will design and cut your own patterns and investigate different styles including, slotted, skeleton and thong (sandals). You will move onto constructing the shoe, stitching the components together and attaching your sole and heels.
Learning outcomes
- Understand the history and context of the footwear industry
- Learnt the practical aspects of shoe pattern cutting
- Learnt the practical aspects of shoemaking
- Have created a shoe production specification sheet
- Learnt basic shoe and footwear drawing skills and how to develop ideas on paper
- Have created their own mood boards and colour boards to show their design concepts
- Have created three pairs of shoes
- Digital badge and certificate of attendance
Materials
- Notebook and pen
- Mobile phone with camera
- Pencil and rubber
- A4 sketchbook
Tutor
Havva Mustafa
Havva Mustafa was born into a family of third generation footwear artisans and designers, and growing up with the curious shapes of patterns, lasts and heels evoked an interest and passion for footwear from a very early age. Havva followed in her fathers footsteps and studied at the prestigious Cordwainers Footwear College in London. Developing strong technical skills and graduated with a degree in footwear design and construction, she spent several years in the footwear industry gaining valuable experience in design, development and resourcing roles. She has now developed and launched her own brand HAVVA.Nafi Mustafa
Nafi Mustafa began his career at an early age working alongside his father who was a shoemaker. He studied at the Cordwainers College in East London where he gained a diploma in footwear design and a Royal Society of Arts bursaries and City & Guilds qualification in boot and shoe manufacturing. Following his graduation he ventured to Italy, where he trained and worked in the footwear industry, developing his appreciation and expertise in the craft of footwear. Shortly afterwards he worked with a range of brands including Bally of Switzerland, H&M Raynes, John Hlustik Design, Levis, Wrangler, Arrow and Clarks. He then went on to set up his own design consultancy company based in London, where he provided footwear manufacturers and tanners with a comprehensive range of design ideas for men’s, women’s and children’s footwear; both in the UK and overseas.
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