Less Limitations

Andrei Rose is a footwear designer with a passion for being creative. Specializing in ladies fashion and children’s footwear, he believes it gives him an opportunity to “design more freely with less limitations in terms of the range of colors, materials, lasts and constructions which I can use in my designs.”

What should everyone know about you?
AR: I am a footwear designer specializing in women’s fashion and children’s footwear.

Why did you choose to be a designer?
AR: I have always been a creative person and wanted a career where I could create something which could be sold to the masses.

What steps did you take to become a designer?
AR: I studied an Honors Degree in Footwear design at the renowned London College of Fashion formerly known as Cordwainers, whilst at university I undertook 2 internships at women’s luxury footwear brands Nicholas Kirkwood and Aruna Seth Shoes.

Best/Most Challenging part of your job?
AR: The most challenging part of the job is trying to make sure that the factory you are working with interpret your the designs correctly, this can be difficult when working with factories overseas such as in China or India.  The best part is when they get it right and the finished shoe comes in exactly how you intended it to look when you initially sketched it.

If you weren’t a designer what would you be?
AR: I would be an artist as I enjoy painting in my spare time.

How did you get started in design?
AR: When I was a kid I my mum couldn’t afford to buy me the latest trainers (sneakers) some of the other kids at school were wearing so being creative and good at drawing I would sketch my own dream shoes.  Eventually as I got older I studies Footwear Design at University.

What do you like about what you do?
AR: I like travelling to various trade shows and picking out new leathers and materials which I could use for the new collection, visiting the factories to see how the shoes which I designed are being mass produced and ultimately seeing the finished collection being sold in the stores.

What’s a common misconception people have about what you do?
AR: When I tell people that I am a footwear designer they seem to think that I work in a factory making shoes.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
AR: I see myself having my own brand and being in control of my own destiny.

What sparked your interest in design?
AR: I used to work in IT but I got very bored and wanted to go to university whilst I was still young so then I started searching for various art or design related courses which I could study and when I came across footwear design at the London College of Fashion I instantly knew that that was the course for me!

How has your work evolved since you began your career?
AR: When I first began to design at University I wanted to become an athletic footwear designer designing for the likes of Nike or Adidas etc.  However I quickly realized that women’s fashion shoes was what I enjoyed designing more and concentrated on that for the rest of the course.  Just before my graduation I got a job as a junior footwear designer at Kurt Geiger helping to design their women’s range.  Since leaving Kurt Geiger 2 years ago I have been mainly designing trendy children’s footwear which has been great because I enjoy taking new challenges and learning about various styles of footwear and consumers.

Are there any types of clothing/footwear/accessories that you avoid wearing?
AR: Klogs!

What are you fascinated by at the moment and how does it feed into your work?
AR: Evolving technology and its correlation in the fashion world fascinates me.  When I was in my final year of university I used 3d technology and carbon fibre material to make my final shoe range.  Recently I have been revisiting this as hope to use these technologies again to make a small collection under my own brand in the not to distant future.

What advice would you give to young designers?
AR: Gain as much experience as you can, internships are a great way to do that either whilst you are studying of afterwards.

What would you like to achieve before the end of the year?
AR: I would like to get back into designing women’s footwear for a great company which could allow me to achieve my potential as a designer.

Learn more about Andrei at StylePortfolios.com

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