Footwear Design 2025

BA (Hons)

F OOTWEAR D ESIGN

Welcome

Footwear Design De Montfort University Leicester offers the only single honours Footwear Design degree outside of London – delivering a distinctive blend of taught components to best provide the next generation of shoemakers and designers with the skills they need. The course has impressive industry links and influential relationships within the international fashion sector.

The Worshipful Company of Cordwainers and The Worshipful Company of Pattenmakers both provide vital support and funding to the course, enabling us to recognise and honour student achievements while they study with us.

Our academic and technical teams work hard to provide our students with a rich and rewarding experience. We deliver insight to the traditional craft of shoemaking, combined with the development of 3D design technologies using our state-of-the-art facilities, including immersive VR equipment. Our students create hand-illustrated sketches and digital designs, to sit alongside the technical making skills of their 3D prototypes, producing a diverse range of footwear categories including women’s fashion, performance sports and men’s bespoke orthopaedic shoes. Students are able to work on live projects with global brands, enter prestigious competitions both nationally and internationally, and develop their own unique footwear design handwriting under the expert guidance of our experienced staff.

We have an excellent network of industry contacts, which ensures our students have the best opportunities to work on collaborative industry projects. This provides them with invaluable experiences to gain relevant industry skills and networking opportunities with major international companies. Our students have recently completed live projects with Adidas, Gravity Sketch, Bauer, New Balance, Jimmy Choo and Dr Martens to name but a few.

As a result, many work experience and internship opportunities are often created. We are so proud of our graduates, and many go on to companies such as Nike, Lacoste, Adidas, Puma, Jimmy Choo, Paul Smith, Kurt Geiger, Dr Martens, Sophia Webster, Alexander McQueen, Gucci, Givenchy and Hermes.

On behalf of our graduating class of 2025, I am delighted to showcase the variety of work they have produced. We wish them all the very best for the future and look forward to seeing how their careers progress.

Nanette Westberg-Brown Programme Leader, BA (Hons) Footwear Design 2

TOGETHER

MADE FROM MORE Arjya J Bhattacharya - page 4-5

The School of 6-7 George Garstang - page

FashionMollyand Textiles - page 8-9 Kennings find outJake more about our Langham - page 10-11 other programmes

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Zak Lawrence - page 12-13 Chanmi Lee - page 14-15

Len Yuen Liang (Dexter) - page 16-17 Jamie O’Grady - page 18-19 Leo Parinaud - page 20-21 Harrison Read - page 22-23 Mohammed Sadiq - page 24-25 James Thrun - page 26-27 Heidi Walmsley - page 28-29 Skye Wicks - page 30-31

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Arjya J Bhattacharya arjyajb@gmail.com

Achievements: • Winner: Camlin Art contest, 1st prize (2019) • Winner: The Worshipful Company of Cordwainers ‘Most Improved Student’

(2024) • Finalist: Adidas Originals x Gravity Sketch x DMU project (2024) • Finalist: The Worshipful Company of Cordwainers Bespoke Award (2023) • Shortlisted: The Worshipful Company of Cordwainers Footwear Awards (2025) • Social Secretary - DMU Barbell (2024-25).

• The Worshipful Company of Leathersellers grant (2024-25) • The Worshipful Company of Leathersellers grant (2023-24) • High Flyers Award, Level-4 scholarship (2022) Gothic Sportswear: Running Rigidity Inspired by Rick Owens’ distinctive style, this collection features gothic sportswear by blending dark aesthetics with innovative design. Incorporating the ‘arj_f00tw’ branding, it appeals to alternative fashion lovers while highlighting mental health themes within the goth subculture.

Combining dark style, functionality, and social messaging, it offers a bold way to express identity while supporting mobility and mental health within the goth community.

The biomechanically engineered running shoe promotes movement to support mental well-being and challenge stigmas. Designed for hypo ankle mobility, it has a rocker sole for smooth motion and enhanced comfort. Made from durable leather and featuring a 3D-printed PLA sole, the shoe emphasizes sustainability.

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George Garstang gwgarstang@gmail.com

Achievements: • 3rd Prize: The Worshipful Company of Pattenmakers Orthopaedic Award (2024) • Finalist: Dr Martens live project (2024) • Shortlisted: The Worshipful Company of Cordwainers Footwear Awards (2025) Structural Velocity A luxury sportswear footwear collection, seamlessly blending performance and sophistication. Inspired by the dynamic world of running, each design emphasises clean, minimalist aesthetics complemented by innovative structural elements reminiscent of contemporary architecture. Crafted with precision, this collection embodies motion, modernity, and functionality, elevating athletic performance with refined luxury. It sets a new standard for performance-driven style, combining technical excellence with elegant design to meet the needs of the modern, active individual.

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Molly Kennings

mollykennings@hotmail.com

Achievements: • Winner: Jimmy Choo live project (2024) • Winner: The Worshipful Company of Cordwainers ‘Most Improved Student’

(2023) • 2nd Prize: The Worshipful Company of Pattenmakers Orthopaedic Award (2024) • Finalist: Drapers Student Footwear Designer of the year (2025) • Finalist: Fashanne Awards (2025) • Finalist: Adidas Originals x Gravity Sketch x DMU project (2024) • Shortlisted: The Worshipful Company of Cordwainers Footwear Award (2025) • Shortlisted: The Worshipful Company of Cordwainers Bespoke Award (2024) • Exhibition: ‘Only Shoes Can Save Us Now’ by Jo Cope, The Gallery DMU (2022) • DMU Course Representative for Footwear Design (2023-2025) Work Experience: • Footwear Manufaturing, Northampton College • Apprenticeship, Dr Martens (1 year) • Digital Cutting Operative / Clicking Room / Leather Inspection, Dr Martens (1 Year)

Delicately Powerful Inspired by historically significant, though once undervalued, women’s craft and making, this practice is now celebrated in contemporary fashion. Heavily featuring gingham, the collection pays homage to domestic artistry and tradition. Designed to embody the strength and empowerment of women, this collection seamlessly blends resilience with femininity.

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Jake Langham

jjlangham14@gmail.com

Achievements: • Shortlisted: The Worshipful Company of Cordwainers Footwear Awards (2025) • Gravity Sketch designer certificate The Game’s Influence This collection celebrates the rich history of football by drawing inspiration from three iconic players across different eras: the 1970s, the early to mid2010s, and contemporary 2022 onwards. From vintage-inspired details reflecting the passion of the 70s, to modern sleekness inspired by recent stars, the collection seamlessly blends heritage with innovation. Crafted for both performance and lifestyle, these footwear pieces honour the evolution of the beautiful game while acknowledging football’s storied past, reimagined for today’s modern athlete and enthusiast.

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Zak Lawrence

zaklaw2004@outlook.com

Achievements: • Finalist: Drapers Student Footwear Designer of the year (2025) • Finalist: Adidas Originals x Gravity Sketch x DMU project (2024) • Shortlisted: The Worshipful Company of Cordwainers Footwear Awards (2025) Poise in Pandemonium The collection examines the delicate balance between chaos and beauty. This project reinterprets moments of disorder, unveiling the often-overlooked aesthetics inherent in chaos. Through innovative footwear design and a distinctive visual language, each piece embodies a unique perspective on disorder, highlighting how beauty can either manifest instantly or remain subtly concealed beneath layers of meaning. The collection aims to challenge conventional perceptions, encouraging viewers to find artistry within unpredictable and tumultuous environments. Ultimately, Poise in Pandemonium invites a deeper appreciation for the unforeseen elegance that arises amidst chaos.

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Chanmi Lee

chanmi.w.f@gmail.com

Achievements: • Winner: • Finalist: • Finalist: • Finalist:

The Worshipful Company of Pattenmakers Orthopaedic Award (2024) The Worshipful Company of Cordwainers Footwear Awards (2025) Jimmy Choo live project (2024) The Cione Biomechanics Footwear Awards (2024)

Vitae Inspired by Dante’s The Divine Comedy, this footwear collection is a fusion of literary elegance, imagination, and contemporary design. Drawing inspiration from the poem’s three symbolic realms - Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso - the collection features distinctive shapes and intricate details that evoke each stage of the journey. The result is a curated selection of footwear that transcends trends, offering a unique expression of artistic storytelling and refined craftsmanship.

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Len Yuen Liang (Dexter) dexterity1hundred@gmail.com

Achievements: • Winner: • Winner:

• Finalist: • Finalist: • Finalist: • Shortlisted:

Adidas Originals x Gravity Sketch x DMU project (2024) The Worshipful Company of Cordwainers ‘Most Conceptually Innovative Student Award’ (2023) The Worshipful Company of Cordwainers Footwear Awards (2025) Jimmy Choo live project (2024) Dr Martens live project (2024) The YKK Awards (2025)

Work Experience: • Boomgate Studio/ EdmondLooi (2020 - 2022) Information Seizure This collection redefines footwear as a canvas for expression amid a digitally immersive landscape.

Inspired by the fusion of cutting-edge technology and dystopian aesthetics, it explores the surge of information driven by emerging technologies, reflecting the themes of cyberdelics and modern dystopia. It also examines the intersection of technology, consciousness, and societal transformation. Incorporating innovative materials and sleek designs that evoke both the chaos and beauty of a modern dystopia, where technology and artistry converge.

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Jamie O’Grady

JOGFTWR@gmail.com

Achievements: • Winner: Scarr-Hall Award (2024) • Winner: Dr Martens live project (2023) • Winner: The Roadley Award for Sustainable Innovation (2023) • Winner: The Pentland Winston Churchill Wardrobe competition (2022) • Winner: The Worshipful Company of Cordwainers Bespoke Award (2023) • Winner: The Worshipful Company of Cordwainers ‘Most Conceptually

Innovative Student Award’ (2023) • Finalist: Drapers Student Footwear Designer of the year (2025) • Finalist: The Craft of Shoemaking Award (2025) • Finalist: Fashanne Awards (2025) • Shortlisted: The YKK Awards (2025) • Gravity Sketch Certified Professional & Student Ambassador Work Experience: • Footwear Design Intern, The Footsoldiers Design Consultancy (May - August 2024) • Footwear Design Intern, Adidas Originals (September 2023 - March 2024) • Footwear and Graphic Designer, Berghaus at Pentland Brands (May - July 2023) • Footwear Design Intern, John Lewis (May - June 2022)

SubTraction.

Introducing an innovative footwear collection rooted in modular design, empowering users to assemble, repair, customise, and recycle their shoes. Inspired by Dieter Rams’ “10 Principles for Good Design,” each piece exemplifies innovation, clarity, honesty, and sustainability. Using a jigsawlike interlocking system, the construction minimises adhesives and permanent fixtures, allowing for easy replacement and environmentally conscious recycling of individual components.

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Léo Parinaud

leo.parinaud@gmail.com

Achievements: • Winner: • Winner: • Winner:

Adidas Originals x Gravity Sketch x DMU project (2024) The Worshipful Company of Cordwainers Bespoke Award (2024) The Roadley Award for Sustainable Innovation (2024)

Fabricated Identities This collection is inspired by themes of concealment, identity, and selfexpression. Drawing from DIY and underground fashion influences, as well as the graphic novel aesthetic of The Private Eye comic, this collection explores layered designs, bold colour schemes, and innovative styles that serve as a form of personal disguise, encouraging wearers to embrace their unique identity through expressive, avant-garde footwear.

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Harrison Read

harrisonread09@gmail.com

Achievements: • Finalist: Drapers Student Footwear Designer of the year (2025) • Finalist: Fashanne Awards (2025) • Shortlisted: The Worshipful Company of Cordwainers Footwear Awards (2025) Project ProRec This is an elite footwear collection designed for athletes in the world’s most popular sport of football. The range features three specialised styles: a versatile training shoe for off-pitch fitness, a high-performance boot engineered for peak on-field excellence, and a recovery mule crafted for postgame relaxation. Inspired by sharks, the predators of the ocean, the designs incorporate elements of their speed, anatomy, and commanding presence to instil a sense of intimidation in opponents and empower athletes to perform at their best, both on and off the field.

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Mohammad Sadiq sadiq.ms410@gmail.com

Achievements: • Winner: Scarr-Hall Award (2024) • 2nd Prize: The Worshipful Company of Cordwainers Bespoke Award (2024) • Shortlisted: The Worshipful Company of Cordwainers Footwear Awards (2025) IBTIDA This is a collection inspired by the essence of new beginnings and rich South Asian heritage, blending cultural symbolism with modern minimalism.

Subtle motifs, delicate embroidery, and a colour palette that is refined and understated, emphasise simplicity and elegance. This collection aims to celebrate heritage and reflects a harmonious balance between cultural expression and minimalist design, representing fresh starts and cultural roots.

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James Thrun

james.michael.thrun@gmail.com

Achievements: • Winner: • Winner: • Winner: • Winner:

• Finalist: • Shortlisted: • Shortlisted:

Dr Martens live project (2024) Jimmy Choo live project (2024) The Worshipful Company of Pattenmakers Orthopaedic Award (2024) The Worshipful Company of Cordwainers ‘Most Conceptually Innovative Student Award’ (2023) Adidas Originals x Gravity Sketch x DMU project (2024) The Worshipful Company of Cordwainers Footwear Awards (2025) The YKK Awards (2025)

Monozukuri An exclusive footwear collection, inspired by the timeless craftsmanship of traditional Japanese armour. Blending historical artistry with contemporary design, each piece embodies a vision of innovation and refinement. Meticulously crafted, these shoes evoke a sense of “peerlessness,” showcasing ornamental details and intricate craftsmanship that honor Japan’s rich heritage.

Balancing tradition and modernity, this collection offers artisanal skill and innovative design, redefining footwear as a form of wearable art.

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Heidi Walmsley

heidiewalmsley@gmail.com

Achievements: • Winner: • Winner: • Finalist: • Finalist: • Finalist: • Finalist: • Shortlisted: • Shortlisted: • Shortlisted:

The Cione Biomechanics Footwear Awards (2024) The Worshipful Company of Curriers Leather Bursary Adidas Originals x Gravity Sketch x DMU project (2024) Dr Martens live project (2024) Jimmy Choo live project (2024) The Worshipful Company of Pattenmakers Orthopaedic Award (2024) The Worshipful Company of Cordwainers Footwear Awards (2025) Drapers Student Footwear Designer of the year (2025) The YKK Awards (2025)

Biomorphism Inspired by the artistic and architectural mastery of Andreas Palfinger, this footwear collection explores biomorphic shapes and innovative design. Featuring striking silhouettes and forwardthinking aesthetics, each piece is crafted to make a bold statement. The collection’s signature extended soles serve as a distinctive visual element, adding both height and modernity. A carefully curated palette of black and taupe enhances its sophisticated and contemporary allure. Blending avant-garde creativity with wearability, this collection redefines modern footwear, making it a true standout in high-fashion design.

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Skye Wicks

skyewicks2@gmail.com

Achievements: • Winner: Scarr-Hall Award (2024) • Winner: Adidas Originals x Gravity Sketch x DMU project (2024) • Winner: Jimmy Choo live project (2024) • Winner: The Worshipful Company of Cordwainers Bespoke Award (2024) • Winner: The Worshipful Company of Cordwainers ‘Most Conceptually

Innovative Student Award’ (2024) • Finalist: Drapers Student Footwear Designer of the year (2025) • Finalist: The Worshipful Company of Cordwainers Footwear Awards (2025) • Finalist: Fashanne Awards (2025) • Finalist: Dr Martens live project (2024) • Finalist: The Cione Biomechanics Footwear Awards (2024) • The Worshipful Company of Leathersellers Leather School (2025) • DMU Course Representative for Footwear Design (2023-2025) Work Experience: • Footwear Design Intern, Dr Martens (2024)

Mantis The collection is influenced by the intricate defense mechanisms of insects, translating nature’s ingenuity into high fashion. Drawing inspiration from the praying mantis as a formidable predator, the collection features sleek, sharp silhouettes complemented by earthy, natural tones. Crafted with innovative materials, this bold and refined collection balances form and function, reflecting both strength and sophistication.

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Thank You Footwear Design

Tutors Nanette Westberg-Brown Jonathan Morss Philip Stewart Elizabeth Lambourn Ruth Jindal Chris Wright

Visiting Tutors Tim King Tony Slinger

Technicians Michaela Wilson-George ADH Technical Support Staff

Industry Jimmy Choo Group Ltd VIBRAM spA Hi-Tec Sports International B.V New Balance Athletics Inc. Bauer Dr Martens

Photography 32

Nigel Essex

Adidas Gravity Sketch Joseph Cheaney & Sons Annette Cove Bob Angell Lizzie Beeby

TOGETHER

MADE FROM MORE Many thanks for the invaluable ongoing support The School of

Fashion and Textiles find out more about our other programmes

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TOGETHER

MADE FROM MORE The School of

Fashion and Textiles find out more about our other programmes

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TOGETHER

MADE FROM MORE The School of

Find Us

School of Fashion & Textiles Fashion andFaculty Textiles of Arts, Design and Humanities

De Montfort University find out more about our The Gateway SCAN HERE other programmes Leicester LE1 9BH UK

Get In Touch Nanette Westberg-Brown Programme Leader, Footwear Design T: +44(0)116 255 1551 E: nanette.westberg-brown@dmu.ac.uk W: dmu.ac.uk I: dmu_footwear_design 35

TOGETHER

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