C.D.C BLOG WEEK 3: Caoimhe Kelly senior footwear designer

Week three of my contemporary design culture class came with the pleasure of a guest speaker one Caoimhe Kelly she graduated from Industrial Design in NCAD Caoimhe has gone on to work for some of the world's leading footwear and fashion companies most recently Timberland before deciding to strike out on her own as a freelance footwear designer. Caoimhe's work has brought her around the globe. As I wish to one day do myself use my design skills to travel unhindered through the world.

Caoimhe set us a design task in groups where we went about discussing and collaborating on shoe design. I found this very interesting and enjoyable.

Caoimhe also set us some prework to prepare us for the class and one video that I really took something from was the “secret of shoe design” YouTube video ill attach below for your own viewing pleasure. The video is a mesh of interviews from several renowned shoe designers. Manolo Blahnik, Mark Hare, Caroline Groves, Sandra Choi and Christian Louboutin, the interviews touch on eaches design practise and sources of inspiration.

What stuck with me was the drastic difference in each designer all experts in the field of shoe design yet so completely unique in there thought process and design style it truly amazed me.

And when I look around at my peers in the course i see too the drastic difference in each develpping designer and realise how we are changing more and more as we delve deeper into the heart of design ,

Another aspect of the video I took personal note from was when the designers were discussing there time working closely with the manufactures in factory and on assembly lines and the importance of this, as having worked on an assembly table at a local furniture making business in my locality. I worked there for half a year during a gap year after my leaving cert. The months I spent nailing timber and gluing blocks I regard as very beneficial in terms of learning how to transition from secondary school to full time work in the “real world”. My time spent there was also my first genuine insight into the product design world in terms of the process products go through before released to customers. My task was to manufacture bare wooden frames and pack them onto the truck where they would then be sent to various workshops to be cushioned and embroidered. I was just one part to the long chain. Sometimes I felt insignificant in terms of it all but then I also feel proud to be part of such a process to create a beautiful piece of furniture . I could see how vital the connection between designer and manufacture =r is so important.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b5Pp9wROkPo

-jake Doyle