Scholar Highlight: Jordan Dinowitz Carries On a Family Footwear Legacy

Jordan is in his third year of the Fashion Institute of Technology, studying footwear design. He recently shared his story with Two Ten.

In the case of Jordan Dinowitz, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.  

His mother, Jacqueline Dinowitz, built her career in the footwear industry serving in lead design roles at brands like Ralph Lauren, Nina Footwear and Nine West before starting her own accessories brand in 2001. She always talked fondly of her time in the footwear industry, so a career in the same field may have seemed like a natural next step for Jordan — especially given his early interest in design. 

As an avid skateboarder in high school, Jordan experimented with taking apart and reconfiguring his skate shoes. He also found himself sketching different shoe designs for fun.  

“I never wanted to direct my children into what they would do,” Jacqueline told Two Ten. “But I think Jordan absorbed a lot of my passion and my enthusiasm.” 

Jacqueline often brought Jordan along on her visits to shoe departments, where he observed her unique way of looking at footwear — an experience that helped spark his own interest in design. Although Jordan knew he wanted to do design, but he wasn’t sure the path he would take. It wasn’t until his mother suggested he investigate footwear design programs that he realized the answer had been there all along. 

“It was always in the back of my head that it would be so cool to be a shoe designer. I saw Virgil's Abloh’s designs and how he came from a very non-professional background and worked his way up,” Jordan told Two Ten. “That was inspiring for me.” 

His mother’s career in the industry also helped show him that it was possible to have a career grounded in passion that was also professionally fulfilling. 

"There was a culture in footwear of people being very passionate about their product and about what they were working on,” said Jacqueline. “Everybody was so nurturing in a way that fosters your personal growth and the growth of the team." 

When the time came to choose a program, Jordan applied for and received a scholarship from Two Ten to attend the Fashion Institute of Technology to study footwear design.  

“Becoming a footwear designer is in my soul, and my DNA,” Jordan wrote in his application for the Two Ten Footwear Foundation Scholarship. “It’s the most important thing to me, and my education at FIT is essential in attaining this goal.” 

Thanks to his scholarship, Jordan has been able to fully immerse himself in his coursework without the burden of excessive student loans. He has built a portfolio of new sketches and has started to refine his design ethos.  

“I wanted to focus all my time on school and Two Ten definitely helped with that and being able to afford materials like sewing supplies and sketch pads,” Jordan said. “The scholarship helped me not be as worried about finding a job while in school. Instead, I can focus my time on my schoolwork.” 

Now in his third year, Jordan is taking his first sneaker sketching class as well as a 3D modeling course. In recognition of his talent and dedication, he received the “Rising Star” award in May, which honors an outstanding student in FIT’s Footwear and Accessories Design program. 

“To see him in his element and then be acknowledged for the Rising Star Award gave me goosebumps,” Jacqueline said. “I felt so good that he finally found his niche and it was acknowledged.” 

She added: “A lot of people don't get the opportunity to do what they love. But what a difference it makes when you can. You have so much more energy, enthusiasm, and you do better work. I think the footwear industry nurtures that and so does Two Ten.”