Footwear Product Developer Science & Engineering Technicians
SaveWhat Does a Footwear Product Developer Do?
Footwear product developers provide interface between design and production. They engineer the footwear prototypes previously created by designers. They select, design or re-design lasts and footwear components, make patterns for uppers, linings and bottom components, and produce technical drawings for a various range of tools (e.g. cutting dies, mould, etc.). They also produce and evaluate footwear prototypes, grade and produce sizing samples, perform required tests for samples and confirm the customer's qualitative and pricing constraints.
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Where Do I Start?
Ergonomics In Footwear And Leather Goods Design
The principles used in the design of various styles of footwear and leather goods for the correct anatomic and ergonomic proportions and measurements.
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These are common skills for this role. Real-world experience matters more than ticking every box — use this as a guide, not a checklist.
Skills You Need to Become a Footwear Product Developer
Essential Skills
Essential Skills
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EssentialErgonomics In Footwear And Leather Goods Design knowledge
The principles used in the design of various styles of footwear and leather goods for the correct anatomic and ergonomic proportions and measurements.
Recommended Books
1 book -
EssentialCAD For Footwear knowledge
The architecture and functionality of 2D and 3D computer assisted design software systems for footwear.
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EssentialFootwear Quality knowledge
Quality specifications of materials, processes and final products, the most common defects in footwear, quick tests procedures, laboratory tests procedures and standards, adequate equipment for quality checks. Quality assurance of …
No book recommendations available yet.
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EssentialFootwear Materials knowledge
The characteristics, components, advantages and limitations of a wide range of materials used in footwear production: leather, leather substitutes (synthetics or artificial materials), textile, plastic, rubber etc.
Recommended Books
2 books -
EssentialFootwear Components knowledge
Footwear components both for uppers (vamps, quarters, linings, stiffeners, toe puffs etc.) and bottoms (soles, heels, insoles etc.). Ecological concerns and the importance of recycling. Selection of suitable materials and …
No book recommendations available yet.
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EssentialFootwear Creation Process knowledge
Footwear creation projects starting from inspiration to technical design and manufacturing by following several stages. Latest trends in footwear materials, components, processes, and concepts.
No book recommendations available yet.
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EssentialFootwear Manufacturing Technology knowledge
Footwear processes technology and machinery involved. The footwear manufacturing starts in the cutting/clicking room , cutting the uppers and bottom components. The upper components are joined together in the closing …
No book recommendations available yet.
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EssentialPattern Grading knowledge
Know about cutting patterns accurately and grading the patterns to obtain the size series in case of mass production. Know how to mark notches, holes, seam allowances, and other technical …
No book recommendations available yet.
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EssentialFootwear And Leather Goods Marketing Planning knowledge
The principles and methods used in creating a marketing plan and how a company can best position itself compared to its competitors, taking into account the specifities of the footwear …
Recommended Books
1 book -
EssentialApply Development Process To Footwear Design skill
Understand the needs of the consumer and analyse the fashion trends. Innovate and develop the footwear concepts from an aesthetic, functional and technological point of view by using a wide …
Course recommendations coming soon.
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EssentialApply Fashion Trends To Footwear And Leather Goods skill
Be able to stay up to date on the latest styles, attending fashion shows and review fashion/clothing magazines and manuals, analysing the past and present fashion trends in areas such …
Course recommendations coming soon.
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EssentialCommunicate Commercial And Technical Issues In Foreign Languages skill
Speak one or more foreign languages in order to communicate commercial and technical issues with various suppliers and clients.
Course recommendations coming soon.
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EssentialCreate Mood Boards skill
Create mood boards for fashion or interior design collections, gathering different sources of inspirations, sensations, trends, and textures, discussing with the people involved in the project to make sure that …
Course recommendations coming soon.
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EssentialCreate Solutions To Problems skill
Solve problems which arise in planning, prioritising, organising, directing/facilitating action and evaluating performance. Use systematic processes of collecting, analysing, and synthesising information to evaluate current practice and generate new understandings …
Course recommendations coming soon.
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EssentialDistinguish Accessories skill
Distinguish accessories in order to determine differences among them. Evaluate accessories based on their characteristics and their application in wearing apparel manufacturing.
Course recommendations coming soon.
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EssentialDistinguish Fabrics skill
Distinguish fabrics in order to determine differences among them. Evaluate fabrics based on their characteristics and their application in wearing apparel manufacturing.
Course recommendations coming soon.
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EssentialMake Technical Drawings Of Fashion Pieces skill
Make technical drawings of wearing apparel, leather goods and footwear including both technical and engineering drawings. Use them to communicate or to convey design ideas and manufacturing details to pattern …
Course recommendations coming soon.
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EssentialPractice Innovative Thinking In The Footwear And Leather Goods Industries skill
Innovate and create in the footwear and leather goods sector. Evaluate new ideas and concepts to turn them into marketable products. Use entrepreneurial thinking in all stages of the product …
Course recommendations coming soon.
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EssentialPrepare Footwear Samples skill
Create, test and verify prototypes or samples of footwear against a predefined set of criteria throughout all stages of the manufacturing process. Revise the initial design concepts and implement technical …
Course recommendations coming soon.
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EssentialReduce Environmental Impact Of Footwear Manufacturing skill
Assess the environmental impact of footwear manufacture and minimise environmental risks. Reduce environmentally harmful work practices in different stages of the footwear manufacturing.
Course recommendations coming soon.
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EssentialUse Communication Techniques skill
Apply techniques of communication which allow interlocutors to better understand each other and communicate accurately in the transmission of messages.
Course recommendations coming soon.
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EssentialUse IT Tools skill
Application of computers, computer networks and other information technologies and equipment to storing, retrieving, transmitting and manipulating data, in the context of a business or enterprise.
Course recommendations coming soon.
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EssentialWork In Textile Manufacturing Teams skill
Work harmoniously with colleagues in teams in the textile and clothing manufacturing industries.
Course recommendations coming soon.
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EssentialCreate Patterns For Footwear skill
Produce the mean form or shell, a two-dimensional representation of the three-dimensional shape of the last. Create scaled patterns for uppers and bottom components by manual methods from the designs.
Course recommendations coming soon.
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EssentialCreate Technical Sketches For Footwear skill
Be able to use various sketching and drawing techniques, including artistic representation, by hand or by computer, being aware of proportion and perspective, to sketch and draw footwear, lasts, soles, …
Course recommendations coming soon.
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EssentialDevelop Footwear And Leather Goods Marketing Plans skill
Be able to develop marketing plans and provide directions for marketing strategies of the company, as well as be able to identify potential markets and to perform marketing activities to …
Course recommendations coming soon.
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EssentialDevelop Footwear Collection skill
Transform footwear design ideas and concepts into prototypes and, finally, a collection. Analyse and check the designs from various angles like functionality, aesthetics, comfort, performance and manufacturability. Manage the development …
Course recommendations coming soon.
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EssentialImplement Footwear Marketing Plan skill
Implement marketing plans according to company specifications, complying with market demand.
Course recommendations coming soon.
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EssentialPerform Market Research In Footwear skill
Perform market research on the company's customers, selecting and applying the right marketing strategies for footwear industry. Apply the mix of marketing (product, prices, promotion, and distribution) to contextual conditions …
Course recommendations coming soon.
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EssentialUse CAD For Heels skill
Digitise and scan the lasts. Work with files in various CAD systems. Produce 3D models of heels and create 2D computer aided designs. Grade and obtain the size series. Prepare …
Course recommendations coming soon.
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EssentialUse CAD For Lasts skill
Be able to digitise and scan the lasts. Work with various 2D and 3D CAD systems and use the software to adopt and transform the shape of the lasts according …
Course recommendations coming soon.
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EssentialUse CAD For Soles skill
Digitise and scan the lasts. Work with files in various CAD systems. Produce 3D models of soles and create 2D computer aided designs. Grade and obtain the size series. Prepare …
Course recommendations coming soon.
Optional Skills (3 of 3 displayed)
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OptionalManual Cutting Processes For Leather knowledge
Cutting rules, variance of the leather properties on its surface and elongation directions of the footwear pieces.
Recommended Books
1 book -
OptionalCreate 3D CAD Footwear Prototypes skill
Be able to read and understand visual elements and technical design specifications from hand-made or computer-made sketches, pictures and drawings. Digitise or scan the lasts. Create the design upon the …
Course recommendations coming soon.
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OptionalOperate 2D CAD For Footwear Pattern Engineering skill
Be able to read and interpret design specification to transfer 3D virtual models, computer made drawings and handmade sketches into the 2D environment of the CAD software. Flatten and work …
Course recommendations coming soon.