Leather Design

Leather Designer
Industries:
Fashion and Textiles
Personality type:
Creative
Departments:
Design | Footwear
The lowdown

• Creating designs for many different types of footwear

• Sketching ideas by hand or using C.A.D(Computer Aided design)

• Communicating with customers and suppliers

Is this role right for me?

To do this role, you will need to:

• have an interest in fashion and trends

• have a creative eye

• pay attention to detail

• have an appreciation of shape, proportion and human anatomy

• have excellent drawing and making skills

• understand different materials and how they can be used

• have experience in fashion, footwear, textile, product, graphic or industrial design

• come up with fresh, relevant and innovative ideas

• have technical product knowledge

• have a strong sense of international market trends

• be skilled in using a Mac and computer drawing programmes

• have excellent free-hand drawing and rendering skills

What does a Leather Designer do?

The work of a Leather Designer depends on the nature of the company, or if freelance, the market level. They could be working for haute couture (high-end designers), designer labels, high street brands and sportswear or specialist footwear companies.

When designing for couture markets, a Designer spends much of their time working on the production of one-off shoes. When working for a high street retailer the designs are based on the trends for the coming season.

A Designer produces mood-boards and design sketches to develop ideas. These are then turned into pattern pieces which are made into a shoe. A Footwear/Leather Designer also researches and sources new materials and negotiates with customers and suppliers.

Footwear/Leather Designers usually work around 39 hours a week, from Monday to Friday. Working hours for self-employed Designers may be irregular, depending on the project they are working on.

They are normally based in a studio environment or a factory when making up their designs.
What might I earn?
A Footwear Designer could expect a starting salary of around £17,000 a year. This increases to between £18,000 and £25,000 a year with experience. High earners in this field could earn between £50,000 and £60,000 a year.