ABOUT The Footwear Design and Technology School of SA

Footwear Design &
Technology School

of South Africa

Full Time Course

Design & Shoe Making

Part Time Course

Design & Shoe Making

Shoe Making
Workshops

Shoe Making

ABOUT US

" Take a walk in our world"

For 24 years we have been teaching shoe designers and shoemakers and helped them make a success of their businesses. With some of the best brands and factories as our allumni. We are a result driven educational institution that can assist you in achieving the same.

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.

pricing

Our Pricing

10 Month Part Time Satuday Classes

R5000 p/m

Starts: Jauary and June

All stationery
All tools
All materials
Online learning access
Ongoing Assistance
Light lunches

8 Week Full Time Morning Classes

R50 000

Starts: January, April, August, October

Make-a-Shoe Workshops

R1 500 to R 3 000

Workshops are hosted on special request.

Variouse styles to choose from
All materials and components
Light lunch and refreshmants
All fun and smiles

TESTIMONIALS

Our Alumni

The late Justin Mc Carthy was one of our first students who then had a small shomaking business in Natal Midlands. Today he is a legend in the footwear industry. vist his amazing shoes at www.groundcover.co.za

Groundcover footwear

Justin Mc Carthy

Werner joined us in 2016 and we helped him with his forst equipment and styles. In the in February 2017 launched Sapmok and with some mastery in marketing, today he is another legend in the making.legend in the making. see his website here: www.sapmok.com

SAPMOK

Werner Winterboer

Also one of our first students Jeff Bodil of corvarri footwear is one of the envies of the footwear industry with the famous confort brand "Natural Steps" as well as the kiddies brand "Noodles"

Corvari Footwear

Jeff Bodil

Allumni, Kate Rowley from Underburg makes beautiful ladies high heel shoes with woodel heels. Her brand is KaeCo and can be found on Facebook and instagram on under Kaecoshoes

KaeCo Shoes

Kate Rowley

The school arranged a scholarship for Brian to attend MIT in America, the most prestigous technology institute in the world. When Brian was there he based his thesis on the schools business approach to establish micro shoe facories and won an award for it.

MIT

Brian Bikitsha

We are here to help you get started

Footwear Design & Technology School