FemaleSneakerFiend [ In Our Words ]

Sole Sisters

By Yaritza Pena

I had the pleasure of interviewing the freshest up and coming ladies of the PENSOLE footwear design school at the University of Oregon. These talented ladies were hand picked by D’wayne Edwards, Creation Operations Manager at Jordan Brand, to participate in PENSOLE’s intensive two-week studio design course that took place this summer.

Throughout the course, participants covered every aspect of footwear design and were put to the challenge of designing and presenting their own products, based on a simulated client order and profile. “I wanted a challenge, and I wanted to see how it would be to work under a strict time line such as two weeks to have a final design as well as a final presentation,” said Precious Hannah, a college student from Detroit, Michigan. “It was different altogether, but I proved to myself that I could get a full presentation and design done. It just takes a lot of time management, patience and confidence.”

precious

Precious at work

Although being a female participant put them in the minority amongst the designers, these ladies took the challenge head on. As Risa Beck, a product design major at the University of Oregon saw it, “At the beginning it was a little daunting but everyone in the class was so friendly, helpful and supportive, it was easy to shake the nervousness right away. I was mostly worried about being taken seriously, but there were absolutely no issues with that.” Precious added, “It’s always extra pressure being a female in a male dominated situation. You have to work extra hard to make sure that your work is seen and remembered.”

pensole

The guys were holding it down...

As I learned about the individual backgrounds of these ladies, it was amazing to see where these different artists were drawn from and the wide spectrum of style and experience of which they represented. Ages of the women ranged from 17 to 30, and sneaker design experience ranged from sketching sneakers in the margins of a notebook during class like Risa Beck, to formally studying accessory design at FIT (Fashion Institute of Technology) like Erin Toraya from Brooklyn, NY.

cecily work

Cecily's sketch for "Water Walkers"

Nonetheless, PENSOLE conjured inspiration and creativity from all of these individuals and developed all the talents that were brought to the table. Cecily shared that the most important thing she learned was, “You cannot be shy and hope to succeed as a designer. You have to know how to verbally express your ideas thoroughly enough to grab your audience, and that the best learning experiences and ideas can definitely be inspired by the people around you.” Aside from learning tips and techniques for designer footwear, Erin also shared that “Doing well in school isn't enough. You have to match that with your networking skills, and that is how you get noticed.”

erin

Erin working with color

Ultimately, PENSOLE was a growing experience for all of its participants. As Risa summed it up, “It was grueling but always inspiring and fun… I loved every minute of it. The instructors were there as long as we were and always checking in, making sure we had what we needed in order to come up with the best designs we could. It was an amazing class!!”

pensole team

As a member of the sneaker community, I am anxious to see what these ladies are planning to do next. Erin says they’re ready to take the lead: “I believe that athletic footwear is undergoing a shift, and women are going to make a big impact in the industry in the future.” Amen to that!

In the meantime, here are some more shots of their work:

cecily