Pensole launches 2017 World Sneaker Championship
25/01/2017
The contest was created in 2014, making it the first global sneaker design competition. It aims to discover and develop the next generation of sneaker designers.
It encourages applicants from all over the world. D’Wayne Edwards, founder of Pensole, told footwearbiz.com that in the years since its inception, the competition has attracted entries from more than 75 countries.
Once applicants have registered on the World Sneaker Championship website, they can set about creating their design. The target consumer for 2017 is a 20-year-old male who lives in a city of the designer’s choice. He is very influenced by culture and wants an emotional connection with the sneaker he is buying, according to Pensole.
To enter, a designer must submit one page containing a side and bottom view of their original sneaker design. It should be sketched in colour by hand; no digital sketching is permitted. They must also create a 2-minute self-introduction video to accompany their design.
Pensole and its World Sneaker Championship partners, US retailer Foot Locker and Japanese technology company Wacom, will select the best 64 designs. There will then be a series of head-to-head eliminations, with the public able to register to vote, until the entries are whittled down to a final two.
The 2017 winner will receive $20,017 in prize money, as well as seeing their design produced and launched as a limited release at selected Foot Locker stores around the world.
The winner of the 2016 event is yet to be named, with the final pitting US designer Maxwell Lund against French designer Maxence Fournier. The champion will be announced in February, just before the 2017 competition begins.
Image courtesy of Pensole.
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