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The Cordwainers’ Footwear Student of the Year competition is always an inspirational and glamourous evening which is held at the Clothworkers’ Hall, London. The 200 guests included footwear students, industry influencers and Cordwainers’ members who come together to celebrate the best upcoming shoe designers in the UK. It is a very prestigious evening and a fantastic opportunity for the 15 young students to meet and network with their future employers as well as industry leaders who will help their business.
It was wonderful this year to hear the inspirational keynote speech from previous award winner Helen Kirkum, who won the inaugural Cordwainers’ National Footwear Student of the Year Award in 2014. Helen had studied at the University of Northampton and explained that winning the award had opened many doors to her by giving her a platform to show her work, she generated significant press and the prize money allowed her to fund her RCA masters degree. Following graduation she went to work at Adidas before starting her own studio in London and now works on projects all over the world.
The Worshipful Company of Cordwainers launched the National Footwear Student of the Year Awards to support the future of the shoe industry and to celebrate and encourage young footwear talent. Penny Graham, Clerk at the Worshipful Company of Cordwainers said: “We are delighted to host this national award for the very best footwear design students. We believe that recognising and supporting the next generation of footwear talent is an important part of helping Britain to maintain its position as the world leader in the design and manufacture of footwear. Previous winners are making their mark in the industry and have used their prize money to fund further education in footwear design or start their own footwear design business.”