Brown's Student Shoe Design Contest nurtures talent early
21 Mar '06
2 min read
Footwear Company Brown Shoe Company, Inc launched the Student Shoe Design Contest in 2005 to recognize emerging talent in the footwear industry.
Lee, who is currently pursuing her Associated Applied Science degree in fashion design, submitted sketches of men's and women's ankle boots and women's flats to the competition.
The entries were culled down to two finalists, who then submitted a second round of drawings for review.
A panel of judges, including designer and talk show host Isaac Mizrahi, Elle magazine creative director Gilles Bensimon, InStyle magazine's accessories editor Alice Kim, Footwear News magazine's fashion director Jennifer Mooney and Brown Shoe's Vice President of product development Rick Gelber, selected Lee's designs to win.
One of Lee's shoes will be put into the production process, and a sample will be made.
She also received a cash prize of $5,000, and attended the World Shoe Association's Las Vegas shoe show in February as Brown Shoe's guest.
"Recognizing emerging designers is an important commitment for the entire footwear industry," said Gelber.
"This contest provides invaluable, real world experience for students, and helps make the industry aware of rising talent ... which just might lead to finding the next legendary shoe designer."
Brown Shoe is a $2.3 billion footwear company with global operations.
The Company operates the 900+ store Famous Footwear chain, which sells brand name shoes for the family.
It also operates 300+ specialty retail stores in the US and Canada under the Naturalizer, FX LaSalle and Via Spiga names, and Shoes.com, the Company's e-commerce subsidiary.