“It’s the down and dirty of how to make a shoe; it’s information that everyone in the industry should know,” said Andre Grandbois, Brand Manager at Wolverine Worldwide.  Renowned Italian technical footwear design training school, Ars Sutoria, offered their unique Footwear Product Development training program to 25 students from all areas of the footwear industry.  The class, held onsite at Two Ten’s offices in Waltham, MA, provided students with insight from some of the most knowledgeable minds in industry.

“I can’t imagine who would not benefit from this class,” remarked Jamie Wells, a designer at Mark Lemp Footwear.  She was one of three students who received a $2,500 Two Ten scholarship for this incredibly unique educational opportunity. Students gained a greater understanding of the production process associated with different types of shoe construction and were also given a deeper knowledge of the materials used in each stage of the process. “In short, this class combined years of experience concentrated into a one week program,” says Jason Rally, a designer from Puma.

Topics addressed during this five-day intensive product development program included: fundamentals of shoe making, analysis of the footwear families, cemented construction process, overview of design and pattern making, analysis of upper, middle and bottom components, leathers, textiles and synthetics, outsoles, footwear constructions, overview of materials for molded outsoles, mold manufacturing, last analysis, pattern making, fit issues, and tips and tricks to cut costs.

Sign up for the next Ars Sutoria program to be held September 8-12, 2014.
Contact Kate Alley at Two Ten for scholarship opportunities. kalley@twoten.org.