How to Create a Trend-Setting Shoe and Bag Collection

The Foundation for Creating a Shoe and Bag Brand and Developing a Fashion Collection

How to create a shoe and bag fashion collection: the foundations of brand development

There always comes a moment, after completing a design course, when a spontaneous question arises in a designer’s mind: how can an idea be transformed into a real brand, into a collection capable of expressing who I am and earning a place in a competitive and crowded market like fashion?

The instructors of the Shoe and Bag Collection Development course at Arsutoria School have gathered a series of reflections and practical insights, drawing on many years of industry experience, for those who aim to create or develop a brand and give shape to their own entrepreneurial vision.

Creating a brand and an accessories collection requires more than hand-drawing and digital design skills. It calls for curiosity, passion, and a genuine desire to understand how the product world truly works—from the sources of creative inspiration to the strategies that turn an idea into something concrete and recognizable.

If you love designing, if you have a project waiting in the drawer, or if you simply want to understand how fashion marketing can help structure and give meaning to your ideas, here you will find perspective, method, and inspiration.

Fashion Marketing as the Map of the Fashion World

Understanding fashion marketing means going beyond market rules and interpreting the dynamics that connect creativity, strategy, and consumer behaviour.

To navigate this complex world, we chose to highlight four core elements found in the most influential fashion brands:

• The relationship between brand and customer:

Fashion marketing begins with the ability to build a meaningful relationship — communicating what a brand stands for and turning an idea into desire, value, and recognition.

Think of those brands that don’t just sell products but a true lifestyle, where every collection tells a story in which the customer can see themselves.

• The balance between creativity and strategy:

In fashion, inspiration alone is not enough. Every idea must be supported by a clear vision and an internal and external plan. This means defining objectives and priorities, understanding who your audience is, identifying the values you want to communicate and translating them into a coherent collection.

• The role of trends and research:

Trends don’t emerge randomly — they are the result of a careful observation of cultural shifts, behaviours, and visual languages that define the present.

Research hubs like Arsutoria Studio and the editorial team of Arsutoria Magazine, active since 1947, translate these signals into seasonal trends.

If you’re wondering how trends influence creativity, think of brands that manage to anticipate trends before they become mainstream, creating new visual codes that shape the entire industry.

• Identity as the ultimate destination:

A project becomes truly recognizable only when it has a clear identity. A brand is not just a name or a logo — it is a coherent world of values, style, and meaning that gives voice to everything the brand communicates and represents.

Beyond the Logo: The Soul of a Brand

Creating a brand means shaping a coherent world where every detail — from imagery to communication, from language to design — conveys a clear message. A strong brand doesn’t just sell products; it sells meaning: emotions, aspirations, dreams.

At the heart of this coherence lie three essential pillars:

• Vision, the future the brand aims to build;

• Mission, the actions that define how that vision will be achieved;

• Values, the principles that guide every decision, from design to communication.

Our instructors believe that an accessories brand is built with a long-term mindset — over time, through consistency and the ability to evolve without losing its essence.

This is why, during the six-week Design module at Arsutoria, students focus deeply on image and messaging, training their eye to identify what makes a brand truly unique and capable of standing strong beyond fleeting trends.

The Profile of Today’s Consumer

No brand can exist without its counterpart: the consumer. It’s essential to truly understand them — not through demographic labels, but by analyzing their behaviours, habits, values, and lifestyle choices.

Today’s consumer is not just looking for products but for experiences. They want to feel part of something, see themselves reflected in what they buy, and find consistency between the values they express and the values they live by. They are informed, critical, aware, and constantly connected.

Understanding their choices means understanding contemporary society — and learning to speak a new language built on empathy, curiosity, transparency, and immediacy.

In the world of fashion design, what is a collection?

Our Design & Collection Coordinator, Valentino Parlato, explains it with an art metaphor: a collection is like an art gallery — but instead of displaying paintings and sculptures, it showcases a designer’s vision through products, materials, and shapes.

Each shoe or bag becomes a chapter of a story, helping to build a coherent and recognizable narrative.

Everything starts from a central theme, inspired by emotions, eras, landscapes or ideas, which sets the overall tone, colour palette, textures, and proportions.

A well-built collection is never a random assortment of styles — it is a visual narrative that communicates a clear point of view.

How to create a fashion collection starting from inspiration?

Inspiration is the spark behind every collection. It shapes the designer’s visual vocabulary and makes their creative language unique. It can come from anything — a work of art, a song, a trip, or a personal memory.

MariaCristina Rossi, instructor of the Shoe and Bag Collection Development course, encourages students to draw inspiration from art, music and fashion: three languages that influence one another, merge, and evolve together. Art teaches you how to observe, music teaches rhythm and atmosphere, and fashion translates all of this into form and material.

Another fundamental theme MariaCristina highlights is sustainability, understood not as a trend but as a responsibility and a forward-looking mindset.
If you look at sustainable fashion brands, you’ll notice a strong emphasis on ethics, materials, and environmental and social impact. Understanding sustainability means learning to design with respect and vision — building an aesthetic meant to last.

For example, consider the difference between recycling and upcycling, two complementary approaches that reinterpret reuse in different ways:

• Recycling turns waste materials into new raw materials.

• Upcycling gives new life and new function to existing objects, enhancing their creative potential.

In both cases, what may appear to be a limitation becomes an opportunity for innovation, promoting more conscious and future-oriented design.

Business functions, teamwork and the merchandising plan

This is the stage where theory meets practice: business functions and the merchandising plan. Every collection is born from the intersection of creativity and organization — between those who imagine and those who make things possible. Every role helps transform an idea into a coherent project.

Even in small brands, every function matters: what truly makes the difference is a shared vision, teamwork, and clarity of purpose. A brand grows only when everyone involved moves in the same direction.

Behind every collection lies an ecosystem of skills — including the creative director, designer, illustrator, pattern maker, and many others.
In fashion companies, it is the balance between art, technique, and strategy that brings a coherent and recognizable collection to life.

Design & Collection Development Course

“Every successful project is born from a strong idea — and from the courage to turn it into reality.”
— MariaCristina Rossi, teacher of the Collection Development course

Our 15-week Shoe or Bag Design Courses follows a method that blends intuition with structure to turn ideas into tangible results.
At Arsutoria School, the course begins with four weeks dedicated to hand drawing and digital design, allowing students to learn proportions, refine their sketches and clearly translate their concepts.

Then creativity connects with strategy: during the collection development phase, students learn to bridge design, trends, fashion marketing, and brand values — building projects that are aligned with the market and true to their personal vision.

At the end, each student develops an original shoe or bag collection, capable of conveying an idea with coherence, technique, and creativity.

Success Stories

Over the years, many alumni have built outstanding careers within international companies. Among them, Matteo Bellentani — now Global Creative Director at Clarks Originals — has developed a career that blends research, product development, and strategic vision.

Fausto Costa, holds the role of Head of Quality Management Supply & Production at Birkenstock, while Guglielmo Gorno works as a Footwear Designer Specialist at On, contributing to the development of performance-oriented footwear.

There are also notable entrepreneurial paths, such as those of Faryl Morse, Founder & CEO of Faryl Robin Footwear, and Pablo Chico de Guzmán Amat from the family-run brand Hispanitas.

Their professional journeys demonstrate how solid preparation — supported by an industry-driven approach, strong creative vision, and well-defined design skills — can be applied across the entire sector, from luxury to sportswear.

The Essential Vocabulary of Bag Construction and Anatomy

Understanding a handbag means knowing its anatomy and construction. Discover key components, techniques and reinforcements that define quality and durability.

Truly understanding a handbag means knowing each of its components and, more importantly, the techniques used to assemble them. Many of these construction details are a key part of the heritage of Made in Italy products. Quality is often found in the details—details that are invisible to the untrained eye.

From handles to linings, from the bottom panel to the side panels, including reinforcements, every element plays a precise role in shaping the aesthetic, functionality and durability of the bag.

In this article, our instructors from the technical course walk you through the main parts that make-up a bag and the key construction methods. Let’s start with bag anatomy:

Bag Anatomy

• Panel : The front and back panels that give the bag its structure and visual identity.

• Gusset These connect the front/back panels and the bottom, giving the bag depth and volume. In some cases, side and bottom panels form a single piece, called side-bottom (Italian: fianco-fondo).

• Bottom: The base of the bag. It can be soft or reinforced depending on the design and construction. Some bottoms include metal feet.

• Flap: The part that covers the bag’s opening. It may be sewn directly onto the back panel or created as a single piece with it.

• Handle: Typically featured in handbags (top-handle bags).

• Shoulder / crossbody strap: Allows the bag to be worn on the shoulder or across the body.

• Edge binding: A leather strip used to finish adjacent edges. A common variant is French binding (bordatura alla francese).

• Drawstring: A lace that closes the top of the bag, running through eyelets or grommets—typical of bucket bags.

• Eyelet: A metal ring, often in two pieces, applied with a press to reinforce a hole.

• Ring: A rigid closed component used to connect two or more parts. Can be D-shaped, round, triangular, or rectangular.

• Clasp: Used to close bags without a flap. These are two interlocking components that snap together.

• Chain: A series of small interlocking rings. Can be used as a handle, strap, or decorative element. Differentiated by link type.

Bag Constructions 

Before diving into bag construction methods, keep in mind these are flexible terms used to clarify techniques.

While style refers to the commercial category of a bag (like a shopper, bucket bag, clutch, etc.) construction refers to how the parts are assembled. The same style can be made using different construction methods.

Each construction method has its own rules and standards. It’s essential to understand them from the design stage onward.

In our technical course, aimed at training leather goods technicians, we teach the most common construction types. Here’s a closer look:

T Construction

Identify a volume characterized by a junction of the side and bottom in the shape of an inverted T.

Inside-Out Construction 

The panels that make up the central body are sewn together from the back side. Volume in its final appearance is achieved by turning the bag inside out.

Raw construction 

The parts of the bag (face, gusset, bottom) are glued together edge by edge and then visibly stitched. 

Tooth construction 

The depth of the side and bottom has a small step that is used to create volume and easily pass with the final seam. 

Box Construction 

One of the main panels (face, gusset, bottom) is subjected to its adjacent one. You need a cardboard or wooden form as a mold to fit the pieces together.

Strip construction 

A small band of leather or fabric acts as a connection between two main parts of the bag, presenting a raw cut finish on one side and a reverse stitching on the other. 

Accordion construction 

Side and bottom are represented by flat panels joined together, with a raw cut, forming a series of adjacent pockets. 

All the components of a bag are represented in the patterns: precise, digital or paper templates used for cutting materials and assembling the product. Each construction method requires specific patterns.

In our technical course, students learn to create patterns both by hand and with dedicated CAD software.

Reinforcements in Bag Making

Bags aren’t just made of leather or fabric. Internal reinforcements made from various materials are added to give the bag structure and firmness. These are chosen based on the construction type and the desired aesthetic or feel.

Main characteristics of reinforcements: 

• Hand: Refers to how the material feels, it can be rigid, flexible, dry, or soft. 

• Thickness: Measured with a thickness gauge, expressed in millimeters or tenths of a millimeter (e.g., 8/10 = 0.8 mm).

• Grain direction: The direction of the fibers, which affects how flexible or stiff the final part will be depending on the cutting direction.

Applications of reinforcements: 

Fully bonded reinforcement: Two surfaces are completely glued together. Reinforcement is bonded to the back of the leather. 

Perimeter or floating reinforcement: 

Glue is applied only around the edges of the piece, leaving the center free to move.

Continue Your Learning Path 

At Arsutoria School, we offer two technical training paths to deep dive into the world of bag construction: 

• 11-week Bag Pattern Making Course: An intensive program focused on developing handbag patterns. Our method blends traditional craftsmanship with digital innovation using 2D and 3D tools for fast, precise results.
• 4-week Bag Prototyping Course: Designed as a natural next step after the pattern making course, but also suitable for beginners. This course focuses on bag assembly techniques—from bench work to sewing machine use. By the end of the course, participants will have created up to four complete handbags.

Bag Pattern Making and Prototyping Course at the Arsutoria School Laboratory

Arsutoria School Hosts Materials and Industry Week

Arsutoria School, a renowned design school in Milan, is globally recognized for its unique and comprehensive training in footwear and bag design. Its product-oriented approach offers students hands-on experiences, preparing them to enter the industry with confidence...

Arsutoria School, a renowned design school in Milan, is globally recognized for its unique and comprehensive training in footwear and bag design. Its product-oriented approach offers students hands-on experiences, preparing them to enter the industry with confidence. From October 28 to 31, 2024, the school is hosting the Materials Week, a series of events designed to connect students with professionals from companies within the shoe and leather goods supply chain.

What Does It Mean to Be an Industry-Driven School?

Arsutoria School’s programmes are structured to provide participants with skills that can be directly applied in industry. The contribution of companies starts with the course design, which is updated annually to meet the specific needs of the industry. In addition, Arsutoria’s team of professionals brings the latest trends into the classroom, both in fashion suggestions and technology. Company visits also allow students to understand the key processes of the industry, enabling them to make informed design decisions and successfully navigate the complexities of the fashion sector.

Now, let us share how the students of fall 2024 experienced these insightful days:

Day 1: Luxury Bag and Footwear Production

The week began with a morning session dedicated to the students of the Bag Design and Pattern Making course. Paolo Amato, CEO of luxury bag brand Leu Locati, famous for crafting bags for the British royal family, delivered an engaging presentation on leather goods craftsmanship. In the afternoon, students visited the Leu Locati factory to observe the behind-the-scenes processes of high-end bag production, enhancing their understanding of the details that define luxury design.

Simultaneously, students of the Shoe Design and Pattern Making course delved into the world of footwear lasts during a session led by the school’s Technical Director, Paolo Marenghi. Later, the students heard from the owners of Tacchificio Villa Cortese (TVC), a leading Italian company manufacturing heels for major luxury brands. Together with TVC, participants explored the technical aspects of heel creation, from the designer’s initial concept to the countless finishing possibilities.

Day 2: Materials and Innovation at Spazio Lineapelle and Limonta

The second day began with a visit to Spazio Lineapelle, Milan’s extraordinary showroom linked to the world’s leading trade show for leather, fabrics, and components for the footwear and leather goods industry. Guided by Arsutoria instructors, students engaged with professionals managing training programs for top brands.

In the afternoon, the school welcomed professionals from Limonta, a company that supplies technical fabrics and materials to the most prestigious luxury brands. Limonta shared their expertise on sustainability, innovation and advanced material applications, giving the students a privileged perspective. In particular, they presented ALTERA, a new line of textiles with a natural look and feel achieved through techniques typical of the tanning industry.

Day 3: The leather guru, Salvatore Nobis

Salvatore Nobis, a lifetime in the leather industry during which he has developed items for leading fashion brands. Salvatore brought his testimony through a lectio magistralis on the magic of leather and a practical workshop during which the students had the opportunity to discuss their design projects and reflect together on which articles to look for when making samples.

Day 4: Prototyping and Design Insights

On the fourth day, the Pattern Making and Shoe Design students visited FAE Project SRL, a leading manufacturer of soles and moulds since 1976. The company designs and manufactures soles for the biggest fashion and luxury brands. During the visit, the students were accompanied by Sonia Benazzato, a collaborator of the school who has worked as a shoe product manager for leading made-in-Italy brands

At the same time, the students of the Pattern Making and Bag Design courses participated in a session dedicated to material processing with Chiara Rivituso, a school collaborator and expert bag product manager in design studios and companies in the fashion and luxury sector. Chiara shared her experience on processes such as embroideries, prints, laser patterns and complex details for bag design.

Join Arsutoria School: The Future for Designers

Whether you dream of pattern maker and technical courses or designing shoes or bags, Arsutoria School offers a wide range of courses designed to nurture creative talent. From comprehensive programmes to become a footwear, handbag or accessory designer, our educational offer guarantees students the skills and knowledge they need for a successful career in the world of fashion. Our shoe training and focus on factory processes allow you to turn your concepts into reality.

Are you ready to shape your future in fashion? Explore our programmes and start your journey today!

Professional Development Courses: flexibility to learn at your own pace and while working

Here are Arsutoria School's online courses: introductory, design or technical. By studying remotely, you will have access to high-level, flexible and internationally recognised training that will enable you to acquire new skills without having to revolutionise your daily life.

Our online courses are designed to be part-time courses and to give those who, for professional or other reasons, do not have the possibility to come to Milan and attend our face-to-face courses, the opportunity to deepen their knowledge of the Arsutoria Methodology.

Here are Arsutoria School’s online courses: introductory, design or technical. By studying remotely, you will have access to high-level, flexible and internationally recognised training that will enable you to acquire new skills without having to revolutionise your daily life.

Introductory courses:

The 100% on-demand courses allow you to study at your own pace, without fixed deadlines, perfect for those who need maximum flexibility.

With the course: Introduction to the world of footwear (Basic level), you’ll gain valuable insights into how shoes—such as boots, moccasins, sandals or sneakers—are made. From silohuettes to materials to constructions This foundational knowledge will prepare you to explore more advanced techniques and specialized areas of footwear design and production.

Within the introductory courses we also find other programmes, which are intermediate levels, to go deeper into materials, components and constructions:

How shoes are made: Men’s shoes

In 9 hours, this course covers key components of men’s shoes, including lasts, toe box, counter, and insole. It delves into various materials like leathers, linings, and soles, while exploring different construction methods. A particular focus is placed on moccasins, helping you understand their unique design and assembly processes.

How shoes are made: Women’s shoes

Like the previous course, this course focuses on materials, components and constructions of Women’s shoes. You will gain a solid understanding of various shoe components, including the last and toe box, essential in shaping and structuring footwear. The course dives into different shoe styles such as boots and sandals, covering materials, constructions, and technical details specific to women’s footwear.

How shoes are made: Sneakers

The course covers different sneaker styles and how they are technically assembled, with an emphasis on materials, components, and construction techniques. You’ll gain insights into sneaker-specific parts like midsoles, outsoles, and linings, and understand how comfort, style, and durability are balanced in production. The course also provides details on creating functional yet fashionable sneakers, making it ideal for those passionate about technical footwear development.

Design courses:

The Online Design Courses provide an in-depth exploration into the creative process of footwear design, blending traditional techniques with modern digital tools.

Unlike on-demand courses, the courses have a start date and are available in full-time (to be completed in 2 weeks for each module) or part-time (to be taken over a 4-week period). There are 3 intakes per year: winter 2025, spring 2025 and fall 2025.

Shoe Hand Sketching

You’ll learn how to draw various shoe styles such as pumps, derby, oxford, moccasins, boots, and sneakers, starting with a pencil and paper. With 8 hours of pre-recorded lessons and individualized feedback, it’s ideal for those looking to master sketching both men’s and women’s shoes.

Digital shoe design (with Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop)

This class can only be taken after the Online Shoe Hand Sketching class, and it is suitable for beginners and intermediate-level learners. The course covers how to convert hand-drawn sketches into technical illustrations by adding seams, finishes, and materials digitally. Participants will learn to use various tools, palettes, and menus in both software programs to create professional shoe renderings.

Advanced sneaker design (with Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop)

This course is also integrated with Shoe hand sketching and is classified as an advanced course. Over multiple modules, you’ll learn how to design every component of a sneaker, including outsoles, uppers, laces, and accessories.

Shoe collection development

The preferred course for entrepreneurs because it combines design and marketing skills and you can also create a collection hand in hand with our long-time and long-experienced professional instructor. You’ll learn how to analyze market trends, understand customer needs, and integrate brand values into your designs. The program covers everything from idea development to market positioning, offering the skills you need to create a successful shoe collection.

Shoe and outsole 3D Modeling (iCAD3D+ and Rhino software)

With this online program, you’ll learn to create 3D models of footwear, including the full process from sketching to 3D rendering and virtual prototyping. Are you curious about the student’s 3D design? Visit our Sketchfab!

Technical courses:

These courses combine traditional craftsmanship with modern techniques, making them ideal for those looking to master the art of Italian-made shoes and bags. You don’t have to worry about the tools because we will organize all the instruments you need to follow the course.

Pattern making Men’s shoes

You will work on derby and laced-up oxford models, representing the quintessential elegant shoes, and on lasted moccasins and tubular moccasins. We will design laced-up ankle boots (Chelsea boots) with side elastic. You will start from the lasts, constructing the base shell, and getting the pieces/patterns of the models.

Pattern making Women’s shoes

Led by industry experts, you’ll learn the fundamentals of pattern making for women’s shoes. You’ll gain insights on the different types of women’s shoes, from dress shoes to casual ankle boots, and learn how to create patterns that are both stylish and functional.

Pattern making Sneaker

You will work on top-lasted and strobel constructions, take a look at knitted uppers, and analyse the constructions underlying iconic models like the Stan Smith derby-style, Oxford running, Van’s slip-on style, and Jordan mid-cut style.

Bag pattern making and mock-up

You will explore 27 different bag styles, including iconic designs like satchels, bucket bags, and saddle bags. The course focuses on pattern drafting using CAD software (Rhinoceros) and includes step-by-step video tutorials. Students also receive materials to create physical mock-ups of the bags. Find out more about the course on our youtube channel.

Why Arsutoria School?

Arsutoria School’s certification is recognized worldwide in the footwear and leather goods industry due to its longstanding reputation, comprehensive training programs, and industry connections.

Established in 1947, Arsutoria has trained thousands of professionals, offering highly specialized courses that combine both technical skills and design expertise, many prominent brands like Adidas, Balenciaga, Birkenstock, Clarks, DSQUARED2, Golden Goose, Inditex, Nike, Puma and Versace and many, many more have had employees trained at Arsutoria, further enhancing its international credibility.

Online bag technical courses guide: from sketch to mock-up

Have you ever wondered if your passion for bags could be translated into a professional path? Being able to create accessories from scratch is definitely an ambitious goal. To fully understand how luxury items are made, a well-rounded technical course is the best place to start from with. Tools for the online patternamaking Approaching the […]

Have you ever wondered if your passion for bags could be translated into a professional path? Being able to create accessories from scratch is definitely an ambitious goal. To fully understand how luxury items are made, a well-rounded technical course is the best place to start from with.

Tools for the online patternamaking

Approaching the professional side of bag making requires adequate resources. As the industry develops new technologies, pattern makers and technicians need to adapt. The most efficient tool to start drafting patterns for bags is a CAD software that allows you to draw shapes in a 2D space, directly from your laptop. From an educational point of view, digital patternmaking can be the most helpful as it requires very little space, almost no manual skills, and it can be easily followed through pre-recorded video tutorials and slideshows.

From junior to senior

A complete course is the best choiche to enhance your previous knowledge and elevate your skills. All masterful technicians have started from simple projects to gather confidence in their approach. No matter where you come from – professionally speaking – you will find your strenghts all along the training. A consistent amount of examples and exercises will be the fuel of your growth.

Your designs in real life

Prototyping can be a tricky task, but it’s crucial when it comes to understanding the finished product. Thanks to online pattern making classes, you are able to print your own patterns, cut the material and put together mock-ups of bags, in order to visualize properly the proportions and all the different techniques.

In the learning path, that is the key to strengthen your knowledge of the several steps of creating the full accessory. Making a mock-up doesn’t mean you have to produce the finished item on your own – that can happen as well, of course, just with a few more resources – but it’s an important step to improve your perception of the product.

Visualizing techniques through a digital mindset

The prototyping step can take place in several ways. Considering a CAD software as the fundamental resource to be used, it’s extremely helpful to employ that also to create 3D volumes that can possibly replace a physical mock-up. This can be a game changer expecially if you’re not that keen on manual tasks and crafting.

Heard from the masters

If you have come this far, you probably are not interested in DIY and amateurs’ tutorials. The best and most appropriate guidance for bag making has to come from the experience of professional figures. They need to be trust worthy: able to achieve high-end results and also to provide well-built instructions through a structured technical course.

The journey from sketch to mock-up in bag pattern making is not just about acquiring skills; it’s about unlocking your creativity and potential in the world of fashion accessories. If you’re ready to turn your passion for bags into a professional pursuit, investing in an online technical course is the perfect starting point. Take the leap today and explore the endless possibilities that await you. Don’t hesitate to ask for more information about our Online Bag Pattern Making program on our website.

Why Arsutoria School Calls Its Master’s Programs Diplomas

The term “Master” is often misused as a synonim of excellent training, This is also applicable to the footwear and leather goods sectors. Things do not work this way To be named “Master”, an educational program must abide to specific requirements that fall outside the simple concept of good/bad. Masters are not always programs of […]

The term “Master” is often misused as a synonim of excellent training, This is also applicable to the footwear and leather goods sectors.

Things do not work this way

To be named “Master”, an educational program must abide to specific requirements that fall outside the simple concept of good/bad.

Masters are not always programs of excellence and not always are better than regular courses or training programs.

Let’s try to clear it up.

What is a Master and when an educational program can be named as such

Let’s start with defining Masters as university ones and non-university ones. The first ones are subject to legal regulations and are integrated in the University system, the second ones are provided by private educational institutions that define Masters’ main features and requirements indipendently

University Masters always have a recognition as they are accredited by the Ministry of Education, while Non-university Masters, provided by private educational institutions, have a recognized value only if accredited by certyfing associations or institutions.

In other words, a Master, in the footwear and leather goods field too, must be acrredited by a certifying institution to be named such.

Furthermore, Masters can be attended by BA university graduates only.

All of the above may never work for our training programs. Let’s see why.

Master in Footwear and Leather Goods: we call them “Diplomas

To start, Arsutoria School is not a University but a professional training center accredited by the Lombardy Region (the area where Milan is located) because in Italy, professional and technical education is mainly managed by regions which abide to nationl guidelines that refer to the Italian Ministry of Education framework.

Obtaining the accreditation has certainly been an important objective as it has allowed us to plan and manage courses that are entirely funded by the Lombardy Region, anyhow with total transparency we can confirm that our student continue to select Arsutoria School for what we represent in the educational sector for fashion accessories (shoes and bags).

Arsutoria School has been the industry referent for over 75 years. Precisely, thanks to the continuous communication and collaboration with leader brands, we are able to offer an up-to-date training which perfectly corresponds to the footwear and leather goods industry training needs.

In this way, we train young professionals who acquire skills which are immediately usable and therefore maintain very high training standards. We do not claim this, our alumni state it. Discover our success stories.

Arsutoria School is a professional training center, our aim is to teach the footwear and leathergoods know-hows, the excellence of the Made in Italy. Since this know how can only be learned in the industry we do not believe that our students need a university degree to access our training paths.

Our school is open to anyone who is interested in undertaking a training path within the accessories sector: young high school graduates who wish to learn a practical job, yourng university graduates who wish to specialize in the footwear and leathergoods fields but also industry professionals who simply wish to further increase their knowledge and skills.

FInally, this is why the Master in Shoes, Bags and Accessories at Arsutoria School is titled 1-Year Shoe Diploma, 1-Year Bag Diploma and 1-year Accessories Diploma.

Certainly not because it is less valuable then a regular/accredited Master.

Shoe Diploma, Bag Diploma and Accessories Diploma: it is not the term “Master” that qualifies the excellence of our programs

It is the market itself that determines the worth of our training. Our 1-year Diplomas in the footwear, leather goods and accessories have always been highly valued and excellent educational paths.

Since 1947 we have been shaping future generations of designers, pattern makers as well as product developpers and project managers in the footwear and leather goods industry. Since then many of our students and alumni have worked or are working for the best international fashion brands.

Our educational excellence is known and reknown worldwide in main sector brands.

If you do not believe it, test it, challenge us!

How 3D Printing and Modeling Are Transforming Footwear and Bag Courses

Years ago I visited the new headquarters of an important design school. During my time there I was shown a sophisticated 3D printer. It was standing still, but the person in charge had bought it as a technical support for the accessories design course. I admit, I left that visit with a mix of both […]

Years ago I visited the new headquarters of an important design school. During my time there I was shown a sophisticated 3D printer. It was standing still, but the person in charge had bought it as a technical support for the accessories design course. I admit, I left that visit with a mix of both admiration and a little bit of envy. 

I wondered why Arsutoria school, which has always been a reference point for other design schools in Milan for technical courses on footwear and bag modelling, had not yet included 3D printing in its courses. Why were we not talking about 3D printing, 3D modelling of footwear, bags, accessories, soles?

3D is a technology that for years has been widely used in the fashion accessories sector for rapid prototyping of components (soles, hardware). It gives the possibility to check the aesthetic of the component once assembled with the product for which it was designed. 

Shoe and Bag Diplomas become richer and more complete with 3D printing

Today I am thrilled to announce that Arsutoria is also 3D printing. 

Why are we just getting to that now?

I think the main reason is that we were waiting to be ready, both making sure our teachers were able to use it and figuring out how to include the topic into the school’s program in a coherent way.

The 1-Year Diplomas (Shoe and Bag) launched in 2022 are the perfect context to include 3D printing in a path that mixes technique and design with the aim of getting students to make shoe and bag samples on their own during the school’s workshops.

3D printing will be first included in the 4-week shoe 3D design and 4-week bag 3D design courses, during which our students learn the 3D modelling softwares: ICad3D+ for shoes, CLO 3D for bags and Rhinoceros for more technical components such as soles, heels, metal accessories and components that are milled, turned or printed in production.

We also thought to include it in the final 8 weeks of the 1-Year Diplomas (Shoe and Bag), the so called ‘proto weeks’. During this period, the students of the 1-Year Diplomas make samples of the shoes and/or bags that they have conceived and designed during the 5-week design shoe collection and/or design bag collection courses.

After learning how to model in 3D and under the supervision of the teachers – who are technical experts in the sector – the students will be able to create their first prototype, that they can get manufactured by the partner companies.

Matteo Pasca

Director of Arsutoria School

Online courses in shoe & bag design and pattern making: the Arsutoria School offer, between certainties and new exciting challenges

Until February 2020, I used to believe that the structure and offer of Arsutoria School’s online courses in design and pattern making would always be very limited or at least marginal. Since that fateful February 2020, when the pandemic arrived, everything changed. I was obviously wrong … How we thought to develop Online courses in […]

Until February 2020, I used to believe that the structure and offer of Arsutoria School’s online courses in design and pattern making would always be very limited or at least marginal. Since that fateful February 2020, when the pandemic arrived, everything changed. I was obviously wrong …

How we thought to develop Online courses in shoe & bag design and pattern making: our digital transformation path did not start during the pandemic

As the title says, our approach to digital begins much earlier than that awful February 2020.

About ten years ago, in 2012, our school was commissioned by FFANY USA, the National Shoe Retailers Association (organiser of the New York fair), to think, structure and provide online training courses for the footwear sector. The goal was to make it accessible, providing a technical training base, even to those less involved in the production processes of developing a footwear product. We are therefore talking about buyers, merchandisers, store managers, etc. …

Together with our colleagues we started studying the most famous and important American portals and platforms that offered the very first online courses: Coursera, org, Moodle as a platform, Udemy, and many others. It took some time for them and also for us.

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In cooperation with colleagues we spoke to several members of the FFANY board gathering their valuable advice on how our online training facility for footwear and bags could be; beyond my mentor Joe Moore, at the time president and CEO of FFANY, I recall two meetings in particular: the first with Jim Issler, the charismatic CEO of HH Brown who shared 10 sheets full of notes, the second with the wonderful Anna Bakst who in 2021 was president of the accessories division (shoes and bags) of Michael Kors.

Online shoe & bag courses: our first experiment on the market

After all these incredible tips, the result was a ten-hour path, organised over three courses:

– Shoe families

– The life of a shoe

– Materials and components that make up the shoe

30 videos of about 20 minutes each. In 10 years, more than 1,000 professionals in the sector have used these videos to acquire a basic vocabulary knowledge and the fundamental concepts of how a shoe is made.

I always like to think that this very first digital approach of our school has helped many international colleagues to become passionate about the fascinating and complex world of footwear manufacturing.

To build these first online videos, it took about one year, from Italian to English translations, voice-overs with professional voice actors, preparation of quizzes to verify the real skills acquired by students, almost all new to us.

We discovered the meaning of words like LMS, SCORM, we developed an internal iOS app in order to download videos and consult them offline. We wanted to provide all online students with the best possible experience.

How online courses in design and pattern making are changing. We are in 2020 and ..

At the the end of February, the unexpected happened: the Italian government ordered the school to be closed to ensure all safety measures. The infections due to the Covid-19 virus increased dramatically.

In a moment we found ourselves immersed in a pandemic that involved every corner of the planet. Nobody excluded.

International students left in a rush to return to their countries, even Italian students returned to their regions. In 2 weeks, the school full of girls and boys, full of life, was emptied.

After a first and inevitable amazement, we rolled up our sleeves and started to think about what we could do to face an unprecedented and long-lasting situation, while still guaranteeing our courses on footwear and bags.

The most important challenge was being able to tansfer the technical skills of our school, that is the famous practical and manual “Know how” to people who would not be physically present in a classroom or laboratory.

We therefore decided to purchase equipment to video shoot: our colleagues from the editorial division of Arsutoria Magazine helped us as they had already been using video languages ​​and content for publishing activities for years.

In the midst of the pandemic, we thus started shooting videos in which we showed how to make shoe models.

Continuing our story in the online training of design and pattern making, shoes and bags, we discussed at length the advisability of organising live lessons or recording videos (on-demand formula).

In the end, we realised that the qualitatively best solution for our students, even taking into consideration the various time zones they are in, would be to record the lessons.

We therefore chose a mixed-type teaching approach: recorded lessons that could be viewed and reviewed several times, with the addition of weekly online reviews with teachers, held both individual and in groups.

We realised that although it is difficult to transmit craft knowledge remotely through shoe videos, this method had advantages: first of all, the possibility of customising the teaching and training for each student in different ways and times, following the rhythms of each one better.

Online courses in shoe & bag design and pattern making. Our current study plan

After almost two years from that February 2020, when our way of living changed, we despose of hundreds of online training hours on footwear and bags. The topics are almost all those taught in face-to-face courses, from traditional pattern making, to the use of 2D and 3D CAD, to hand design and digital graphics.

A fundamental part is missing: the prototype: perhaps we will find a way to teach online also how to make a prototype of a shoe or bag but today we are faced with the fact that our traditional teaching uses industrial machinery and it is unrealistic to think that students who attend remotely may have the same type of equipment available.

But let’s get to the present day

7 January, 2022 and we are proud to be able to offer our online courses. We can even offer the annual diploma remotely online. Even those who do not have the opportunity to travel to Milan and participate in physical courses have therefore the chance to attend the Arsutoria School training.

What challenges will you face next?

At this time, a large part of our team’s attention is turned towards the training for professionals, that is, courses for those who are unable to dedicate 100% of their time.

We have called it “on-demand” training with different needs, both in terms of use of time and intensity level.

Those who already work prefer a “pulverised” training over time, that is, it can be attended even for just a few minutes a day. Moreover, it is clear that a person who is already working has very specific needs and is less interested in a broad basic training than in giving a competent and professional response to specific training requests. We would call this an upgrade of skills in the footwear and bags sector.

Strengthen our offer related to online courses, also expanding the partnerships we are setting up, with the aim of creating a portal completely dedicated to constant education in the footwear, leather goods and accessories sector.

But soon enough you will hear about that too.

Matteo Pasca Arsutoria School Director

Training in footwear factories

“Frequently, footwear entrepreneurs lament: ‘There are no more edge‐binders, we lack cutters for high-end materials, it’s impossible to find a pre-lasting operator or a pattern maker.’ Increasingly, managers of ‘Made in Italy’ factories tell us that specialized technical roles for shoe production are simply missing.”

Which professional roles work in a shoe factory, and what courses are available to become part of them?

Shoe Production: Between Craftsmanship and Industry

The first point to highlight is that despite the mechanization that has taken place over this century and following the Industrial Revolution, shoe manufacturing still retains strongly artisanal aspects: the knowledge and manual skill of the person operating the machinery remain essential.

A shoemaking factory uses many machines to produce a single pair of shoes. Here are just a few: the skiving machine, the split-leather machine, sewing machines, the pre-lasting and lasting machines, the heel-nailing machine, and the sole-press. None of these machines can work without an operator at their side to guide and monitor them.

We can say that machines serve as an aid to the operator’s work: they help operators work faster—and thus more productively—and increase the precision and repeatability of each process. Nevertheless, the operator’s knowledge and manual skill remain fundamental.

Only a few operations—especially in the production of dress shoes, the flagship of “Made in Italy”—can be fully automated: for example, the buffing of the mounted upper’s bottom and the application of glue to both the bottom of the upper and the sole.

Some processes, such as cutting, have evolved considerably in recent years. A shoemaking plant always requires someone capable of cutting by hand, both for prototypes (for which CAD models have not yet been created) and when working with special materials (e.g., precious leathers). It is true that advances in cutting tables now allow an increasing range of materials to be cut automatically, and today you can even see factories cutting exotic skins with these machines. However, the operator’s skill is still critical—especially in high–value-added tasks such as positioning pieces on different areas of the hide. Final operations like sorting the pieces post-cutting, on the other hand, have been automated.

In a shoe factory: the technicians behind production

The figure above shows a sequence of typical technical activities carried out in a shoe factory. A few fundamental points must be clarified: first, every company is organized differently, so this diagram does not precisely represent the structure of all shoemaking plants.

In the diagram we chose to name activities rather than roles, because the same person may perform multiple activities (for example, a single pattern‐maker might handle both prototype/sample development and industrialization).

The diagram also does not specify which activities are performed in-house and which are outsourced. For instance, it is common for prototype edge-binding to be done internally, while production edge-binding is subcontracted to a jointing workshop.

Footwear lifecycle

1. Prototyping: the first attempt to translate a style concept into a shoe. The result is a shoe that will be evaluated internally and likely modified before being launched on the market.

2. Sample production: shoes made available to the sales force to show to customers and collect orders.

3. Production: once orders are gathered, manufacturing begins. Not all samples will be produced (typically only those that reach a company-specific minimum order quantity), and customers may still request variations on the displayed samples.

In larger companies, the people who create prototypes and samples are often not the same as those who handle production. In many firms, production is even partially or entirely outsourced.

The different technical roles in a shoe factory:

• Some of these are dedicated to technical design—for example, pattern makers and technicians responsible for developing and industrializing the shoe structures. Specific courses exist to train these professional figures.
• Other roles are dedicated to planning, organizational coordination, internal and external logistics of materials and semi-finished products, production supervision, and product and process quality control. For these positions, it is harder to identify specific training courses that develop these exact skills. In our view, within the Italian education system these professionals should be trained through post-secondary paths such as IFTS and ITS programs.
• Finally, there are the roles more directly involved in production (cutting, skiving and jointing, lasting and finishing). In the Italian education system, these professionals should come from vocational institutes or IeFP (Education and Training) pathways. However, except for a few cases, it is difficult in Italy to find Vocational Schools or Professional Training Centres (CFP) capable of organising training programmes that meet the needs of industry.

The result is that these roles are often still trained internally within companies, by working alongside experienced staff through apprenticeship schemes or using resources from inter-professional funds (e.g. Fondimpresa). In some Regions there are short courses financed by ESF (European Social Fund) resources or through Employment Agency funds (Formatemp).

Over to the National Association of Footwear Manufacturers (Assocalzaturifici):

We asked Assocalzaturifici to help us map out the courses available throughout Italy for training the various technical figures employed in shoe factories. The following contribution was jointly prepared by Tommaso Cancellara, Director of the National Association.

On the Assocalzaturifici website, you will find a list of schools offering footwear-related training, organised by educational level.

Secondary training

This refers to the specialised three-year programmes in upper secondary schools (especially technical institutes). In the seven regions that host Italy’s footwear districts, schools have introduced “Fashion” tracks that include modules specifically focused on shoemaking.

The problem is that, because these are dedicated teaching positions, school principals may hire sector experts only if no qualified teachers are available on the official roster. This is unfortunate, as students often lack the proper tools and insights to really understand the industry.

To address this, Assocalzaturifici has signed a memorandum of understanding with ANPAL to improve the quality of school-to-work internship projects, ensuring mutually beneficial collaboration between companies and schools.

Post-graduate training

For Graduates, the Footwear Sector Offers Several Opportunities:

1. IFTS Courses (Higher Technical Education and Training)

▪ Funded by the Regions and completely free for students.

▪ Activated each year based on the training needs of companies in the sector.

▪ Recently concluded IFTS courses for “Footwear Technician” in Lombardy, Marche, Emilia-Romagna, and Veneto, which will be re-funded and restart in October.

▪ Duration: one year (approximately October to July).

2. ITS Courses (Higher Technical Education)

▪ Delivered by Foundations comprising companies, universities, and upper secondary schools.

▪ Offer training in various footwear and fashion roles, such as:

◦ Process and product technician

◦ Collection coordinator

◦ Marketing and internationalization technician

For Graduates, the Footwear Sector Offers Several Opportunities:

IFTS Courses (Higher Technical Education and Training)

• Funded by the Regions and completely free for students.
• Activated each year based on the training needs of companies in the sector.
• Recently concluded IFTS courses for “Footwear Technician” in Lombardy, Marche, Emilia-Romagna, and Veneto, which will be re-funded and restart in October.
• Duration: one year (approximately October to July).

ITS Courses (Higher Technical Education)

• Delivered by Foundations comprising companies, universities, and upper secondary schools.
• Offer training in various footwear and fashion roles, such as:
  • Process and product technician
  • Collection coordinator
  • Marketing and internationalization technician

Assocalzaturifici collaborates with and promotes the following ITS programmes:

• ITS “Moda Calzature” in Marche
• ITS Cosmo in Veneto and Lombardy
• ITS Moda in Campania
• ITS MITA in Tuscany

and provides, upon request, its expertise and teaching staff.

The courses last two years and award credits that can be used for university admission. The employability rate of students attending these programmes is around 85 %.

Admission to IFTS and ITS courses requires a selection process with minimum prerequisites (a vocational diploma and English proficiency).

There are also private courses—especially for pattern makers. Schools such as Arsutoria, Cercal, and Politecnico Calzaturiero, all part of Assocalzaturifici’s training network, offer private programmes for this highly sought-after role in the footwear industry. Saturday-morning classes are particularly popular, as they cater to professionals already employed who wish to advance their careers.

Investing in a successful career in the field of leather goods

Now, more than ever before, why should the young and not so young people look to the leather goods industry for their professional educational needs and the perfection of their own skill sets? Because leather goods is one of the most important voices contributing to the revenue of leading international brands listed on the stock […]

Now, more than ever before, why should the young and not so young people look to the leather goods industry for their professional educational needs and the perfection of their own skill sets? Because leather goods is one of the most important voices contributing to the revenue of leading international brands listed on the stock exchange and the bag is the accessory par excellence and a bestselling item among end customers.
Moreover, for quite some time now, there has been a high and constant demand for employees by bags manufacturers: «Our main concern – explains Stefano Magri from Renato Corti, a well known leather goods producer from Milan, which partners up with the ARSUTORIA School for educational programmes – is that of preserving the expertise and savoir-faire typical of traditional high-end leather goods manufacturing».

Even Francesca Busiello, Senior Account Manager of the Quanta temp agency – with which ARSUTORIA School has collaborated for pattern-making and prototyping courses sponsored by well-known fashion brands – confirms the on-going need in the industry for workers: «The demand for specialised personnel in the leather goods industry is constantly on the rise: production line workers, leather cutters, machine operators, and pattern-makers are just some of the profiles most in demand by the market. The biggest problem that companies are encountering on a daily basis, in fact, is the difficulty in recruiting specialised personnel that can become part of the company, since today many of the current workers are nearing the age of retirement. We are fighting to support companies in this generational changeover, but the number of employment opportunities is far superior to the number of job applicants».

Professional training

What are today’s companies looking for? We ask Matteo Pasca, director of ARSUTORIA School:

«When selecting specialised personnel, three fundamental aspects must be considered: first, the so-called ‘soft skill’ set. Companies are on the lookout for reliable individuals that can be positively inserted into the network of relations in a factory, with the ability to make the most of not only their technical skills, but also their own personal aptitudes. The second fundamental factor is that of workers’ expectations: companies need employees that are genuinely interested in working in a productive context, and not those who see production as a simple stepping-stone towards designer or other similar positions in the company. Last, but not least, manual ability and basic technical knowledge is important, so they can quickly be inserted into the productive process with some kind of background in areas such as bag design, types of bags, types of purses, and purse hardware. Today’s rhythms are too fast to even think about hiring people without any kind of expertise and having senior workers show them ropes, as often happened in the past”.

It is exactly these principles on which the professional training courses offered by ARSUTORIA School are founded, as explained by Elena Scavardone, ex-professor with over 10 years of experience in working for some of the most important designer labels: «We teach our students a concrete and manual way of working, the same that is used in the workshops of leading luxury brands. From us, they also learn theory, but above all the practicality of touching with their hands and learning about the materials, the importance of and wide variety of reinforcements, and the problems connected to the development of models. At the same time, they also learn how to construct genuine bag prototypes with their very own hands, thanks to the presence of a fully equipped laboratory right inside the school».

A kind of education that provides the right results, as underlined by Francesca Busiello: «The partnership with ARSUTORIA, first set into motion 4 years ago, fully satisfies the demands of our customers. At the end of the course, in fact, the most talented students are inserted into leading companies in the leather goods segment with fixedterm employment agency contracts or direct internships in the company».

This is what is confirmed by Renato Corti: «We realised that the culture of our work can be taught, when instead we always believed that it could only be passed down from one generation to the next. Out of the 15 students who participated in the Renato Corti Academy project in collaboration with ARSUTORIA School, more than half (after a 6-month internship) moved on to a job in the pattern-making or production departments. The results are excellent!»

Extremely close ties with the sector

ARSUTORIA School is not only the perfect choice for those interested in learning a trade, but also the opportunity for a full-immersion in the world of leather goods, as can be seen by the school’s many dedicated initiatives in recent years:

• technical workshops for the creation of prototypes by students coming from design schools like Istituto Marangoni and the Domus Academy
• production, in the school’s in-house laboratory, of bag prototypes to be subsequently presented at international fairs at the stands of Italian manufacturers of materials
• workshops aimed at the managers of important brands of finished products,
• guided visits to leading leather goods companies representing the very best in Italian tradition and luxury
• the collaboration with UNIC, the Italian Tanners’ Association, and the Lineapelle fair
• the European projects like Erasmus +Leia that in October 2019 will kick off its ambitious programme

  

The experience of students

Nothing is better, however, than hearing the voice of American Margaret Hennessey, who got her degree from the very first edition of the post-graduate bag semester course, speak of her experience at ARSUTORIA School.

«I began studying the world of leather goods three years ago as a self-taught student, constructing bags by following online courses, until I eventually realised that I needed to learn a correct and professional method for designing and creating my models».

She accordingly decided to come to Italy to attend the semester course of ARSUTORIA School. «For the first twelve weeks, I participated in the Course for Pattern Making, where I made many bag samples, learning how to cut materials and skive and split the leathers, how to use reinforcements, stitch, and follow all the steps needed to create a complete bag prototype. This initial class was followed by a 4-week Design Course, where we faced problems connected to designing a bag collection, while considering themes connected to technical design, to then go on to the 1-week course where we were taught about the concepts of branding, marketing strategies, and market and consumer analysis. During the last part of the semester (the 3-week Bag Making Course) I made the most of and perfected all the things I had previously learned, and from the beginning to the end of it, in the school’s in-house laboratory, created 3 bags: a tote, a clutch, and a backpack».

Margaret discovered the most interesting part of the experience once she had returned to North Carolina: «I was immediately able to dedicate myself to my brand, and raise its quality up to the next level. Now I sell my line of products online (www.margarethennessey.co) and I’m making plans for its gradual expansion, while preserving the concept of craft workmanship with a focus on details, which makes the most of everything I learned in Italy».

There is work in the footwear sector!

Training is the concrete answer with which we can start a relaunch process of the Italian footwear and confirm its supremacy in the world”, this way Siro Badon, ex-president of Assocalzaturifici, introduces a crucial theme for the shoe sector, a fundamental driving force of the Italian economy. In political debates today there is much talk […]

Training is the concrete answer with which we can start a relaunch process of the Italian footwear and confirm its supremacy in the world”, this way Siro Badon, ex-president of Assocalzaturifici, introduces a crucial theme for the shoe sector, a fundamental driving force of the Italian economy.

In political debates today there is much talk of relaunching work in Italy, especially for young people. Solutions do not seem easy to find, although in many sectors, especially in the manufacturing sector, the demand for new talents does not lack.
There would be work, for example, in the footwear sector! But what kind of job and what are the real needs of companies? Thanks to the contribution of the sector’s reference Association and of important companies that deal with components and finished products – we examine:
– the situation on the labour market among the companies in the footwear sector
– the importance of investing in training
– what profiles companies look for and which attitudes they require
– training courses to be taken to secure a position

THE LABOUR MARKET IN THE FOOTWEAR SECTOR

Siro Badon, ex-president of Assocalzaturifici and an important entrepreneur in the footwear sector, introduces the theme: “Footwear companies are going through a very delicate phase, marked by generational turnover, especially related to professional figures employed in the production sector. It is estimated that over the next three and five years, there will be a lack of 48,000 technicians in the entire fashion system.
There are fears that, despite being specialised, schools dealing with our sector will not be able to bridge this important gap, both in terms of numbers and know-how. To learn the trade well, in fact, the academic preparation is not sufficient. Young people who are part of the company need to be supported by experts to deeply understand the various dynamics. This requires a very strong investment, in time and economic resources, which companies often do not have the opportunity to implement”.

Helene Zago, ex-human resources director and Isabella Dibitonto, staff research and selection manager of RossiModa, a prestigious Venetian shoe factory, further explain the situation facing the world of footwear production: “The average age in our various production departments (from the cutting to the finishing procedure) is particularly high, which poses the urgent problem of generational turnover. We have been dealing with it for 6 years through our internal school that trains young aspirants with courses lasting 2 or 3 months, transmitting them both technical and theoretical know-how. We do train them alongside senior profiles who can complete their preparation in the field, in particular in the assembly and finishing sectors.
Through the collaboration with the Politecnico Calzaturiero and the Employment Agency Umana, and taking advantage of the FormaTemp formula, we also have activated a training course tailored to our needs (hemming, assembly and quality control) which allows us to work with 10 or 12 boys and girls, providing them afterwards with an internship. On average, one third of them gets finally hired”.
ARSUTORIA’s school experience is very similar and its director, Matteo Pasca says: “There are no young hemmers ready to enter the job market, as confirmed by the request of a shoe factory in the Parabiago district that decided to invest in a training course for 8 professional figures. So we set up a hemming laboratory at our headquarters in Milan and started a collaboration between the company (which prefers to remain anonymous) and a temporary agency. The agreement allowed 8 girls (at their first experience or in the process of professional reintegration) to follow a free training course that included frontal lessons and factory experience. The course, co-financed by the FormaTemp fund, led to the full recruitment of all participants». 
Finally, it is again Siro Badon to bring up another problem: “Obviously, our sector offers many job opportunities, but it does not seem particularly attractive for new generations. It is therefore necessary to revive it, making it more interesting for both young people and their families by clearly explaining the many and advantageous job opportunities that the sector offers”.

WHY IT IS IMPORTANT TO INVEST IN TRAINING

Silvia Paganini, co-titolare del Tacchificio Villa Cortese e Presidente del Gruppo Giovani di Confindustria Alto Milanese: explains it well: “As regards the world of footwear components (but the concept, we believe, is valid for the entire supply chain, ed.), the growth of big brands has led to an adaptation of the company structures. Now it is necessary to be well organised, by ever remaining flexible, providing careful attention to products and services. Through open innovation, the fusion with the entire supply chain and strong investments in research and development, we must place ourselves towards our customers not only as suppliers, but as partners and solution providers with the aim of anticipating their technical and commercial needs. It is clear that for such a complex job, continuous training is necessary both for those who already occupy positions in the world of work and for those who must enter it”.
Siro Badon reiterates the concept: “Assocalzaturifici is firmly convinced that investing in training and skills is highly strategic for the future of the sector. It is, in fact, essential to train new professional figures capable of innovating Made in Italy footwear companies by perfectly combining them with our tradition and the standards of excellence that characterise our production”.

WHAT PROFILES AND ATTITUDES ARE REQUIRED

After listening to all the interlocutors, it seems clear that even though specific technical skills are important, also the so-called soft-skills are valuable for the companies in the footwear supply chain: those attitudes of curiosity, ability to learn and work in a group, in addition to the willingness to make ‘sacrifices’.
“Within our company – explains Silvia Paganini – technical figures are without any doubt our key professionals, the most difficult to find on the market. But, in the growing complexity dictated by the speed of adaptation to new technologies and the fragmentation of orders, technical skills are no longer enough: there is a need for creativity and the ability to work in teams, prerequisites for all innovation processes; there is a need for an attitude towards change, the only constant compared to to the volatility of skills, but also flexibility and curiosity”.
For Siro Badon “companies in the sector are looking for motivated, passionate young people who, above all, want to learn”.
RossiModa adds: “We are also looking for people without any experience. Motivation is what matters most to us. Specific expertise is provided afterwards. Another important aspect is to perfectly understand the expectations of the candidates (and in this sense employment agencies are fundamental to help us through a first selection) because it is crucial to weigh the real ambitions of young people: they must be calibrated and commensurate with the needs of the company. I explain why: training these people is a long-term investment, the results of which will be appreciated only after about 3 years. And it will still take some time to have, for example, good pre-assemblers. It is a bet that therefore implies a significant investment in resources, that’s why the initial selection must be particularly accurate”.

We also ask RossiModa’s managers about the characteristics that not only a production figure must have, but also a Product Manager: “For us it is a crucial role. Each of our client maisons is followed by a dedicated work group and the various product development offices must interpret the needs of the style offices within the various brands and then engineer the collections. 50% of our product managers come from the market (senior profiles) and the rest from an internal training course in which also all the assistants were involved. A very demanding job, that required 5 years. We selected profiles from the business world (mainly coming from the IUAV in Venice) or from experiences such as IED and Marangoni. People with a university background who did not necessarily have previous footwear knowledge”.

TRAINING COURSES

As President of Confindustria Alto Milanese’s Youth Group, Silvia Paganini highlights: “We strongly believe in cooperation with schools. Young students are the actors of the future, new entrepreneurs and new collaborators. We are convinced that it is essential to invest in them to ensure continuity and solidity for the future of our companies and Made in Italy.
Collaborating with ARSUTORIA school in numerous projects, for example, has allowed us to create awareness about the professionalism of the footwear sector and to support companies, by forming adequate technical profiles”. Also Assocalzaturifici expresses its satisfaction in the partnership with the Milanese institute: “The results achieved for the two IFTS projects ‘Product and process industrialisation technician for the footwear sector in Lombardy’ activated with ARSUTORIA school are definitely positive. Paths that led to well prepared and motivated students who, then, entered companies with mutual satisfaction.
Unfortunately, the IFTS formula presents two problems: it is subject to a tender and funding by the Lombardy Region and does, therefore, not provide continuity to the programme. Second, funding times do not allow for an adequate promotion of the initiative with the risk of not receiving sufficient adherences”.

It should be recalled that Arsutoria does not just train professional figures dedicated to production, but also those who work in the design or managerial field.
It serves the sector thanks to training financed by interprofessional funds, and provides short workshops shaped on business needs: from sales to office staff, human resources and so on. Or through tailor-made courses for those who wish to launch their own footwear brand. Designed for those who want to create their own label, produce in Italy or Europe, and avoid the most common mistakes due to lack of experience—starting efficiently and staying competitive. An online option is also available for those who want to balance work life with their studies.

In recent years, sneakers have established themselves as one of the most influential products in the footwear market, deeply impacting the fashion world. Today, there is no major brand that doesn’t include sneakers in its collections. That’s why, in the technical and design courses at Arsutoria School, we delve into topics such as the components and structure of sneakers, as well as sneaker-making techniques. In the design courses, the goal is to equip students with the skills needed to design their own sneakers and launch their own collection.
For those who wish to become well-rounded professionals ready to enter the footwear industry, ARSUTORIA School offers an intensive one-year program. A highly practical approach to learning every aspect of shoe production: from design to pattern making, covering a wide range of technical constructions, so shoemaking, and including a 3D design journey. The program covers both women’s and men’s footwear, from casual to formal styles. Students also gain in-depth knowledge of materials and understand the logic behind material sourcing.
To learn more, read the article on the Master in Fashion Accessories: why at Arsutoria School the footwear and bag programs are referred to as Diplomas.
The programme offers a double perspective on the footwear sector: innovation and tradition. Students learn the use of specific software for 2D and 3D modelling: they create a microfibre prototype designed with these tools and cut with cutting-edge machinery. Thus, they experience what it means to make a sample before starting the prototyping and production phase.
Students also have the opportunity to explore their creativity through the development of a collection, designing and creating a merchandising plan, thus enriching the basic portfolio for their footwear brand.

After acquiring technical skills, they closely work with Italian artisans, at the shoe workshop inside the school, creating their own pairs of shoes (from sneakers to pumps, from sandals to laced-up shoes).
A significant part of the program is also dedicated to mentoring startup brands: how to work with factories and how to approach the development of first collections. To complete the training, students take part in experiences such as the ‘Industry & Material Week’ during the 15-week design program, which includes masterclasses, workshops, and visits to leading companies in the industry, specialized trade shows, and showrooms.
Starting in 2025, new lessons focused on artificial intelligence will be introduced, aimed at mastering tools that support design—Vizcom and Photoshop’s integrated AI, just to name a few.

We end with Siro Badon’s words: “The work of us shoe makers is beautiful: it combines manual skills and creativity as well as offering very concrete possibilities of being part of one of the most prestigious Made in Italy sectors”.

Shoe Designer: how to become one, professional profile and training requirements

In this article we wish to provide a complete overview on the study path as well as the necessary formula to become a shoe design talent. Shoe Designer: which tasks involves? Shoe designers draw footwear for their own line or for the brand they work for and lend their skills, using their aesthetic and product […]

In this article we wish to provide a complete overview on the study path as well as the necessary formula to become a shoe design talent.

Shoe Designer: which tasks involves?

Shoe designers draw footwear for their own line or for the brand they work for and lend their skills, using their aesthetic and product knowledge in fashion, design and footwear. Shoe designers generally follow educational paths that allow them to become familiar with drawing and design software.

Read also: Software for shoe designers and technical drawing

Essential information to become a Shoe Designer

Shoe Designers use their knowledge of footwear trends, sample making, materials and design to conceptualize and develop new footwear. Aspiring shoe designers who complete a Bachelor degree or technical training program may have a competitive advantage in the labor market. It is above all through attending practical and operational classes that they can effectively learn all the techniques and secrets to become a successful shoe designer, so as to have the opportunity to showcase their talent within the job market.

Generally speaking, professional designers should also constantly develop and implement their own portfolio of work, containing their own collections, to show potential companies and brands their skills.

Career profile for a shoe designer

From conceptualisation to the final product, designers create shoes for new or existing shoe lines. Using their extensive knowledge of industry trends, design concepts, patterns and materials, they draw designs by hand or with the assistance of computer-aided design (CAD) software. Once the projects are completed, a prototype is created, perfected and used to create samples for industry fairs and portfolios. The level of practical involvement of shoe designers throughout the design process depends on their level of experience and the size of the company they work for.

Training requirements for footwear designers

Aspiring shoe designers can complete design-related study programs, but it certainly isn’t enough to own an in-depth education; as a matter of fact, a well-rounded  professional in the footwear industry should also have the right knowledge of footwear pattern making. To go into the details of shoe making, there are a few subjects and topics that will help you develop your skills in practice:

• Making. From last analysis to proportional measurements, it is necessary that the professional shoe pattern maker and designer know how to cover the last with masking tape, remove it and flatten it on the cardboard to create the base shell. From this it will be possible to apply the necessary springs to prepare the standard for the specific model, as well as drawing the style lines on the flattened standard (being either the upper or lining standard) and finally get the pieces with all the technical details useful and necessary for cutting, preparation, stitching and lasting.
• Knowledge of materials. In addition to the knowledge of proportional measurements of lasts and different systems used for measuring sizes and fits, it is necessary for professionals to know different materials, such as leathers. In detail, it is advisable for professionals to know which finishes are available on the market and how to use the same leather in the production phase, for example in cutting the different parts of the models into shapes, with the aim of optimising consumption while maintaining the aesthetics and quality of the footwear.
• Prototype of the footwear. It is also important that the aspiring shoe designer and/or pattern maker know how to make his own upper, last it on the last together with the lining, glue the bottom, heel and sole and finally finish the shoe.

It should be noted that making is not a marginal knowledge and work of a shoe designer, but is in fact the crucial asset to understand the real composition of a shoe. Understanding this passage is fundamental to access the labour market, as skills related to shoe making are increasingly appreciated and sought after by employers.

Footwear designers. What to do after your studies?

Internship

It is certainly important to be able to put your skills into practice into work right away. An opportunity suitable for all is certainly to undertake an internship at a company or design studio. The advice we would like to give you is to present you to the interviews not only with an updated curriculum vitae but also and above all with your own portfolio, which include mood boards and in case of luxury very well accomplished drawings.

The shoe factory

Spending time in the factory is a core for a professional of the shoe industry. In environments very close to production you can deepen what you have learned about shoe pattern making during your studies. It is right inside the factory that a shoe takes shape and it is here that a designer’s sketches take on consistency.

Launching your own collection…YES, but not too soon

It makes sense to think that the end of your studies in shoe pattern making/making or design has as its ultimate goal the marketing of your shoe collection. But be careful not to jump too early and with little experience, as the risk of having a flop is undoubtedly very high. Let’s borrow a symbolic phrase from Sophia Webster, a well-known footwear designer:

“You have to make as much experience as possible and make mistakes, but with other people’s budgets”.

Building your own network

In fashion as in all work sectors, it is important to build relationships. Craftsmen, manufacturers and suppliers are the basis of the work of a professional shoe designer, as these figures are the very source of his craft and in part determine the success of the brand.

Tenacity, creativity and ambition

We want to conclude this article with these three keywords that should be the basis of all the dreams of a designer. The three nouns are and always will be the thread that binds and brings to the top the success of a person in the field of fashion.

Always remember that:

“Success comes when opportunity meets preparation”.

Zig Ziglar

Software for shoe designers and technical drawing

In this article we try to understand what software is used by shoe designers. Before talking about shoe design software, we must make a premise: how do you become a shoe designer?

Different type of shoe designs (and shoe designers)

I believe it is appropriate to distinguish between a designer of fashion shoes, designer of sports shoes (which includes hiking, trekking and mountaineering footwear) and a designer of special shoes, such as work and safety footwear. However, not all the shoes available on the market fall within these categories: just think of plastic flip-flops or children’s shoes, bridal shoes or dance shoes.

The category of fashion shoes can include all those companies that offer new proposals for each season. Traditionally, twice a year, although more and more companies are launching four collections every year, some even six and others churn out products continuously (such as fast fashion giants like Zara and H&M).

Designers who work for these companies usually come from fashion design studies or have been trained on the job. There are schools that offer footwear design courses and are generally considered to be fashion schools. Many designers, however, have not studied fashion, but have learned to apply their creativity to the designing of shoes.

Digital software for fashion shoe design

Graphical software

Some designers now use illustration and graphic software: the most common are Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Photoshop. Illustrator allows turning the design into a vector file, which can then be easily modified. Photoshop makes it possible to scan the materials (e.g. leather and fabrics) and to apply the scanned textures to the design in order to create a so-called rendering, namely, a more realistic design that not only shows the lines of the style, but also simulates the final appearance of the shoe once it is made with the materials.

From pencil to pixels and beyond

During the creative process, it’s common to have an idea and feel the need to seek inspiration, brainstorm, or visualize a design in a more realistic way to make the best decisions.
Today, in fact, in addition to traditional software, there are also tools available to everyone that support designers throughout the creative process. And it doesn’t stop there: once the sketches of a shoe collection are complete, it is now possible to develop a full graphic campaign to make those concepts even more tangible.
For this reason, starting in 2025, and in light of the potential offered by certain AI tools, we have decided to include dedicated lessons in our Hand Drawing, Digital and AI Tools for Footwear course, featuring platforms like Vizcom and the AI-powered functions integrated in Photoshop. Take a look at this article, where we explore a real case study and 5 AI tools every shoe designer should know.

3D CAD for footwear

Some companies have started to use 3D CAD software to design fashion shoes. One of the most well-known examples of this is Tempe (Zara), where a team of more than 50 shoe designers designs the products using ICad3D+. The same happens inside the German group, Deichmann which also uses ICad3D+ or the US group, Wolverine, which uses Romans CAD. In my opinion, the biggest advantage of creating a 3D design in fashion companies lies in the possibility to communicate more effectively and with precision to designers, thus avoiding interpretations and adjustments that require revisions and modifications (i.e. time and money).

Digital software for sport shoe design

However, things change considerably when we move from the fashion world to sports companies. The time-to-market for new products are very different: technical innovation and the need to guarantee performance require longer times for the work groups who carry out the research, design, industrialisation and field tests of the products placed on the market. An example is Nike’s flyknit, which remained in incubation for a few years before being launched on the market in 2012.

Sport/athletic shoe designers

Who designs sports shoes? In sports companies, not many designers come from fashion design schools. It is much more common to find designers who studied industrial and product design. Probably because this type of professional is accustomed to looking at the design in terms of functionality rather than in terms of aesthetics. They are more used to researching the materials and are more familiar with designing moulded items such as rubber or plastic, which are used to make the soles of sports shoes.

Let’s not forget that the sports world is primarily a world of enthusiasts (see for example, Phil Knight’s book “Shoe Dog” on the history of Nike). Therefore, it is common for sports companies to find their personnel, including designers, among the sportsmen themselves or sports enthusiasts. The reason is simple: these people know what customers who practice these sports need, because they practice it themselves with passion (just think of running, but also mountaineering).

Sports shoe designers are used to working with pencil and paper. D’Wayne Edwards, founder of the Pensole school and a designer at Nike, has always declared that everything starts with a pencil (and the pencil is part of the name of the school he founded for lovers of sports shoes). However, designers who studied industrial design are increasingly used to working with graphics software. Like the fashion industry, the most widely used software tools are Illustrator and Photoshop.

They are probably not used at the start, but are used to bring the design to a more technical level after the creative idea has been conceived. Sports companies increasingly want their designers to use 3D modelling software. The same company uses different software tools – think of giants such as Adidas and Nike, as well as New Balance, Asics, Brooks, Mizuno etc. – such as traditional 3D modelling software programs like Rhino and 3Ds Max.

Rhino, Solidworks, Illustrator, and Maya

There are many 3D design software tools available on the market, all very different from each other in terms of technical possibilities and cost. A licence for Rhino – one of the most popular – costs less than €1,000 and Rhino plug-ins exist that allow automating many operations needed to design a shoe or sole. While a complete licence of 3D CAD shoe software programs (i.e. Shoemaster, Romans and Icad3d+) can cost a company about €10,000.

Free software tools are also available to create the 3D design.

Clearly, these software only allow creating the 3D design, and it often takes a long time to make some parts of the shoe (think of the strings or tiles of a track sole) which can be designed in a faster and more automated way using shoe design software. What’s more, it is harder to send the design data to those involved in the technical development (both for cutting the pieces of the upper and for creating the mould of a sole).

In many companies, this separation between 3D design and technical development does not seem to be a problem. It is not uncommon to see designers in large companies who have little to do with the technical developers and the company itself does not encourage the use of integrated systems.

3D printing in footwear design

Once a 3D design has been created, it has many uses: it can be used to create a prototype of the shoe through 3D printing. The 3D printers available on the market are still not able (but are almost there) to make shoes with the same performances as those produced in the traditional way. But they can already make maquettes to evaluate the look of the shoes and in some cases for an initial evaluation of the fit. A 3D design can also be used by sophisticated rendering systems to create images similar to real photographs. This opens up the possibility of creating virtual catalogues, e-commerce sites and interactive windows in stores and many other applications where 3D design replaces the physical product

Safety shoes

Finally, I would like to say a few words about safety footwear sector. A world where – in Europe certainly, but more and more so in other countries – products must meet a complex system of standards that lay down the requirements for so-called personal protective equipment (PPE). In many ways, this sector has aspects that are common to the sports world: functionality is just as important as aesthetics. Moreover, we are talking about shoes with soles in rubber or other plastic materials (e.g. polyurethane) and with constructions similar to those of sports shoes, especially trekking and mountaineering shoes.

Unlike the sports sector, the safety footwear sector is not dominated by large companies and therefore very few technical innovations are seen in this sector, such as those we see in the world of sports shoes.

Designers of safety shoes also come from the world of industrial design, although many are design and production engineers who also like to focus on the design. Most of them work in the traditional manner, with paper and pencil, some use graphics software and others use 3D modelling software, in particular, when you consider the complexity of the structure of soles for work and safety shoes.

Conclusions

To sum up, the world of shoes is very big. Let’s not forget that many of the shoes produced every year (especially in the Far East) are low-cost shoes made entirely of plastic materials. However, the more we move towards shoes with greater added value, the larger the contribution of designers. We have seen that some designers come from creative studios, some from fashion design schools, others from industrial design schools. Shoes are still generally designed in the traditional way using paper and pencil, but more and more companies require the knowledge of software, mainly graphics software such as Illustrator and Photoshop. 3D design software has existed for many years, but it only really began to be used in companies a few years ago, mainly in larger companies and in general sports companies, but not only.