ARS Developments ck 1998/069596/23 t/a The Footwear Design & Technology School
Footwear Design & Shoemaking Full Time course
This eight week course lays down the foundations for you to enter the world of footwear. It equips you with all the knowledge you need to be able to start your own brand of footwear and/ or enter the manufacturing arena. This includes sketching of footwear, pattern engineering and grading. It covers all technical aspects needed to make footwear as well as the production of footwear with minimal machinery.
Footwear Design & Shoemaking Part Time course
This 10 month course lays down the foundations for you to enter the world of footwear. It equips you with all the knowledge you need to be able to start your own brand of footwear and/ or enter the manufacturing arena. This includes sketching of footwear, pattern engineering and grading. It covers all technical aspects needed to make footwear as well as the production of footwear with minimal machinery.
The course runs two Saturdays a month from 8h00 to 14h00 and include an light brunch and refreshments.
Make-a-Shoe one day workshops
Although no one can learn to make a shoe in a day or two or not even a week. We do however offer these workshops to introduce people to the shoemaking process. These workshops are aimed to be more fun than an educational process.
These one day workshops are intended te be fun or can be used as teambuilding excercises. The attendees decide what shoe and what size they want to make up front and then come in on the day and put the shoe together themselfs. This does include the basic cutting and handwork and the sewing is done by the facilitator. You will walk out with your own pair of shoes in the process.
Footwear designers and Technologists are a niche market skill which is very rare in South Africa. It requires the ability to create concepts, put these concepts down onto paper and transfer the concepts into 2D patterns and from there on into a prototype.
There is currently a shortage for good designers and technologists who can employed into retail as well as manufacturing sectors.
There are a multitude of opportunities for footwear entrepereneurs in South Africa. From small start-ups to large investment opportunities.
Freelance designers with a good eye for the market is always in demand in the footwear industry. Small scale start-ups have proven very successful over many years and have delivered a multitude of multi millionairs.
Just in the last five to seven years we have seen a multitude of small brands rise from no where of which our students are the leaders.
Due to the exchange rate and local demand for localised products this is becomming a more viable business by the day.
The is no hobby as satisfying as making footwear. Once the first shoe is made, the bug has bitten.
From just a sideline hobby to keep you busy or an retirement hobby for some extra income, shoemaking is the utimate answer.
We have allumni that are retired and making shoes for fun and to keep the motor skills going and the brains alive.