BA (Hons) Cordwainers Footwear: Product Design and Innovation

The BA (Hons) Cordwainers Footwear: Product Design and Innovation course, situated in the School of Design and Technology, is concerned with the design, development and realisation of fashion footwear products for the fashion footwear industry. You will learn the skills of research, how to produce initial design ideas, and how to develop designs through to a finished 3D prototype.

You will gain a comprehensive understanding of the fashion footwear industry, its markets, and the particular role of the fashion footwear product designer and developer within the industry. The Cordwainers and Leathersellers livery companies support the Cordwainers courses through prizes, scholarships and industrial visits.

Cordwainers Footwear is one of a group of fashion product courses, all of which are designed and delivered with employment in the relevant industry in mind. To this end you will study a range of units that will equip you with the relevant professional, communication and business skills, and undertake live projects set by industry where there will be presentations to and from the companies involved.

You will have the option of doing a placement year between the second and final year of the course. Successful completion of this year will give you an additional qualification, and you will have the opportunity to make contacts and build relationships within the industry before the end of your studies. This course focuses on producing graduates who are encouraged to make an innovative and visionary contribution to footwear product development within the fashion industry.

Cordwainers Footwear is based at Golden Lane, on the edge of the City of London and very near to the Barbican Arts Centre, with its exhibition gallery, concert hall, theatre, cinema and cafes and restaurants. Clerkenwell, Hoxton and Smithfield, with their interesting mixes of shops, creative businesses, galleries, cafes, bars and clubs, are within walking distance, as is the Museum of London.

The Barbican Estate is an excellent example of post-war urban architecture, and the nearby Whitecross Street has a very good lunchtime food market during the week, where you can select hot or cold food from a wide range of different cuisines.

Students on this course might be invited to participate in study trips. This may involve, for example, visits to key areas of capital cities, factories, stores and museums. Attendance on these trips is not compulsory but recommended. Details regarding timings and costs will be issued closer to the relevant trips.

Course Structure

Year One - Stage One - level 4 - 120 credits

• Term One: Introduction to Footwear (20 credits); Product Technologies (20 credits)
• Term Two: Introduction to Cultural and Historical Studies (20 credits); Product Creativity and Communication (20 credits)
• Term Three: Product Design and Development (40 credits)

Year Two - Stage Two - level 5 - 120 credits

• Term One: Cultural and Historical Studies (20 credits); Creative Professional Practice (20 credits)
• Term Two: Research Methods for Product Development (20 credits); Creative Industry Practice (20 credits)
• Term Three: Industry Project (40 credits)
• Professional Placement Year (optional)
• Diploma in Professional Studies

Final Year - Stage Three - level 6 - 120 credits

• Term One: Concept Development (40 credits)
• Terms One Two and Three: Contextualising Your Practice (20 credits)
• Terms Two and Three: Product Design and Realisation (60 credits)
• Travelling across London

The renowned London College of Fashion library is at our John Prince’s Street site, and you will need to travel to this site, and possibly others, during your course to use the library, which is open seven days a week in term time, and for tuition and special events.


Course structure

The information outlined is an indicative structure of the course. Whilst we will aim to deliver the course as described on this page, there may be situations where it is desirable or necessary for the University to make changes in course provision, for example because of regulatory requirements or operational efficiencies, before or after enrolment.

If this occurs, we will communicate all major changes to all applicants and students who have either applied or enrolled on the course.
Please note that due to staff research agreements or availability, not all of the optional modules listed may be available every year.

In addition, the provision of course options which depend upon the availability of specialist teaching, or on a placement at another institution, cannot be guaranteed. Please check this element of the course with the course team before making a decision to apply.