Moda to host De Montfort shoe design awards
Designs from sixteen final-year footwear design students at De Montfort University are to be shown during UK fashion trade event Moda’s spring fair edition, held over February 5-8 at the national exhibition centre (NEC) in nearby Birmingham.
Visitors to the show on its opening day will be invited to vote for their favourite concept from nine finalists, all of whom were asked to respond to a project brief to create shoes inspired by the now-extinct Quagga, an animal that was native to South Africa and known to have evolved alongside the distinct conditions of its environment. As the hunted-to-extinction Quagga could not sustain itself beyond the late-nineteenth century, sustainably minded design was not a requirement, Moda said.
In no particular order, the finalists’ names are Baldeep (Bobby) Nangla, Woosung Kim, Gyoungryoung (Lynn) Kwak, Cameron Murdoch, Jong Won Kim, Madison Harwood-Scott, Jemma Swales, Jihwi Ahn and Alfie Payne. The most popular design among visitors will be recognised with the Buyer’s Choice Award in a prize-giving ceremony which will also announce the overall winner later on February 5.
Senior lecturer and programme leader for the university’s BA (Hons) Footwear Design course, Nanette Westberg-Brown, commented: “The Quagga project is a unique concept that allows students to really push their design boundaries and explore niche footwear theories and innovations.
“The work that the students have produced is a testament to their commitment to their footwear studies. Having started the programme during the pandemic and resulting lockdowns, they have overcome the challenges of facing reduced access to our facilities and practical prototyping to excel in their creativity and design ideations.”
The shoe design submitted by finalist Alfie Payne. Courtesy.
