Footwear Designing

In present day and age where fashion and beauty are top priorities, clothes and footwear worn by a person exhibit his/her personality. Recently, demand for footwear has increased and people are craving for more choices and variety. The craze for stylish footwear has is growing by leaps and bounds.  India is only next to China in footwear manufacturing. Government is also doing its utmost to promote and encourage the footwear sector. For this, the central government is encouraging exports through several schemes. If one is studious as well as creative, a career in footwear designing could prove to be a good choice.

Work
In footwear industry, work is divided into three broad categories - designing, manufacturing and marketing. Under designing, one has to design new patterns according to customers’ choice and requirements. Creativity, knowledge of market trends and computer literacy are a must in order to succeed as a designer. This field requires hard work, so those who are interested in making a career in footwear designing should be prepared for gruelling work. In manufacturing, skilled technicians are required to operate machines. Apart from all these, marketing work is also important here, that includes contacting clients, organizing exhibitions and fairs and preparing strategies for advertising.

Eligibility
Eligibility for a footwear designing course is 10+2. Undergraduate, post graduate, diploma and certificate courses are available in India’s leading footwear institutes. The duration of these courses range from one to three years. For PG diploma, graduation in any discipline is a must. For admission in FDDI, an All India Selection Test (AIST) is organised. Once you have cracked this, group discussion and personal interviews are conducted. Undergraduate, post graduate, diploma and certificate courses are available here.

Course
Undergraduate level courses are available in Footwear Design and Development Institute (FDDI) based at Noida and Chennai, the Central Footwear Training Center (CFTC) and The Center for Leather Research Institute (CLRI), Chennai. At post-graduate level, specialization can be done in footwear science and engineering. Apart from technical course, a course in Human Resource Development (HRD) is also available at FDDI and an 18-month diploma course in footwear technology (MFT).  Eligibility for admission in this course is BE/ BTech in mechanical or production engineering. Postgraduates in physics or graduates in Leather Technology can also joining this program. Courses like supervisory course in footwear technology (SFT) and diploma in footwear designing (DFD) are also available. For SFT, science graduate or diploma holder in mechanical engineering or leather technology is required. For DFD, eligibility is normal graduates or fine arts graduate.

Scope
Even during recession placement in FDDI was 100 per cent. This clearly shows that finding a job will not be a problem after completing a course in footwear designing. According the Indian footwear market forecast for 2012 released by RNCOS, Indian footwear retail market is growing exponentially. In India, domestic companies like Bata, Lakhani, Action, Superhouse and Liberty along with multinational companies like Nike, Reebok, Woodland, Lee Cooper are expanding businesses providing new employment opportunities.

Earning
A designer plays a significant role in a footwear company. Therefore, negotiation for pay packets is not difficult.. However, initially, a designer’s salary could be anywhere between Rs.12,000-18,000 per month.

Institutes
 1. Footwear Design and Development Institute (FDDI), Noida
 2. Central Footwear Training Institute, Agra
 3. Anna University, Chennai
 4. Muzaffarpur Institute of Technology, Muzaffarpur
 5. National Institute of Fashion Technology, New Delhi
 6. Institute of Government Leather Working School, Mumbai
 7. AVI School of Fashion and Shoe Technology, Chandigarh
 8. College of Leather Technology, Kolkata