Workers in a hand bag factory

See inside a Designer Handbag Factory

Handbag Factory Tour On a recent factory tour in China I was invited to visit a friend’s designer handbag factory.  Since I was formerly bag designer, I was  especially excited to have a look inside to see what was going on. The purse factory we toured was making medium […]

handbag designs 2015 simple purse pattern

How Designer Handbags are Made

How Designer Handbags are Made As a shoe designer you may be called upon to work on many different soft goods projects.  My design career started with bag design, moved on to footwear design, and now I work in both fields every day. You will find that […]

Handmade Shoes for Men

Handmade Shoes for Men

Handmade Shoes for Men Book Review Handmade Shoes for Men by Laszlo Vass & Magda Molnar Hard Cover: 216 Pages Published 2015 What Amazon says: Handmade Shoes for Men elucidates the entire process of creating classic men’s shoes, while the detailed color photographs document every stage of […]

A Visual Compendium of Sneakers.

The History of Sneakers Poster

The History of Sneakers Poster I love this History of sneakers poster!  I have a copy hanging in my own in my design studio. This is poster features a meticulously illustrated collection of the 134 greatest sneakers in human history, starting with the Chuck Taylor way […]

How running shoes are made

How a Running Shoe is Made

How Running Shoes are Made All running shoes are made by the cold cement construction process. If you want to learn how to design shoes you need to know this basic shoe making process.   Cold cement is the modern updated style of shoe construction.  Due to […]

Local Market Shoe Materials

Picking Shoe Materials from Local Markets In the major shoe making centers in China you will find thriving local markets for shoe materials. The local markets are store fronts large and small with every type of shoe material, shoe component and manufacturing equipment available.  You will find […]

How to make shoe outsole tooling

How Shoe Outsole Tooling is Made

How Shoe Outsole Tooling is Made If you want to learn how shoe outsole tooling is made you are in the right place! All new outsole tooling starts with a designer’s drawing.  The designer should have followed the last bottom outline to get the shape […]

A day in the life of a footwear designer

A Day in the Life of a Shoe Designer

A Day in the Life of a Shoe Designer Lucky for us there is no “normal” day for a shoe designer!  The daily life of a shoe designer may be different every day! For a footwear designer every day will present a new challenge, almost […]

shoe making process

Shoe Making Process

Shoe Manufacturing Process How are shoes made in factories? The manufacturing process for shoes is basically the same for all types of shoes. The sports shoe manufacturing process used to make a kids sneaker, Air Jordan™, or women’s high heel fashion shoe are very similar. Shoe […]