PENSOLE: FN Platform, Future of Footwear – Materials
Pensole's recent competition based class, that is part of a collaboration between Magic's FN (Footwear News) Platform and Pensole's Future of Footwear, is more then half way through. The class kicked off July 2nd with about 20 hand selected designers who competed through the Mesh01 community. With 5 different categories (skate, dress, lifestyle, athletic, and kids) and 4 designers in each, only 2 designers from each category will make it out to the FN Platform at Magic in Las Vegas. By the end of the show there will be 5 winners crowned 'Future of Footwear' in their respective categories.
Conceptkicks was in class today as Suzette Henri, one of the leading material experts in the industry with years of experience working with brands such as Guess, Jordan/Nike, and Skechers, broke down materials for the class. After a general discussion of some basic terms and methods the swatch books, color/finish samples, and release papers started to make their way around. One focus that came up was the very trendy current construction style of HF (high Frequency) welding, no-sew, and hot plate. She was really able to dissect and explain some of the limitations (such as the smaller palette of mesh options for bonding) as well as predict the 'trendy' lifetime of the construction style. Suzette covered everything from working with your in-house team and factory developers to trend forecasting. It was an educational experience for all of the young designers as Suzette flawlessly unraveled years of experience to the class the way only she can. 0
Check out some images from the event below and expect some BIG things coming from Pensole in the near future.....Be sure to stick with Conceptkics for the latest exclusive content!
MD - Mattdealmeida@yahoo.com