professionalfootwear innovation2016 - 2017

master of footwear innovation

forecasting

design technologyforecasting business

18 weeks12 weeks

netherlands

4 weeks

china

2 weeks

italy world

Start your business

Work as an international consultant

9 month program12.950 euro tuition*

and/or

*including 21% VAT, if applicable

professional footwear innovation

contentintroduction

welcome to slem | 05who is this for | 06

after slem | 06

general informationselection procedure | 07

costs | 08payment | 08

certificate and employment | 08student housing | 09

methodpersonal development plan | 11

learning what is necessary for you | 11not reinventing the wheel | 12

building your network | 12innovative social entrepreneurship | 12

programnovember 21, 2016 - february 22, 2017 | 14

february 13 - march 10, 2017 | 15march 28 - april 7, 2017 | 16april 10 - august 4, 2017 | 16

slem facultylecturers | 18 - 19

slem alumni recent alumni | 21 - 22

student work recent alumni | 23 - 33

local partners local slem partners | 34 3

SLEM is based in the former town hall of Waalwijk,in the historic city center. Our campus hasbeen refurbished in a spectacular yet durable wayby Doepel Strijkers Architects.

a shortintroduction

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“innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower. ”- Steve Jobs -

welcometoslemSLEM (Shoes Leather Education Museum) is an international innovation and education centre for footwear that includes a consulting department, a footwear museum and an education institute that offers fulltime as well as part time programs on a professional level.

SLEM’s aim is to improve the world through shoes. Even though there is a growing human population with an exponential need for footwear this is limited by current material resources, production and distribution processes. This causes an urgent need for meaningful change.

Shoes have been made and sold pretty much the same way for the past

century. While we appreciate tradition, our aim is to develop innovative

sustainable technologies that will involve fewer, recyclable, biodegradable

and non-toxic resources applied locally.

To achieve this SLEM programs stimulate new ways of thinking about

footwear that will open up and improve the industry, involving new solutions

and creative opportunities that were not available or thought of before.

At SLEM we do all this through research, teaching and applying new

methods that are suitable for the future. Our Professional Footwear Innovation

program eliminates the typical department divisions between technology,

design and business, providing a multi-disciplinary platform for both students

and professionals from various backgrounds.

The program deals with how to forecast future developments for footwear

and how to translate this future vision into profitable and sustainable business

and design concepts that unite the creative, ethical, commercial and

technical dimensions of people and their footwear. Investigating better ways of footwear construction is a big part of the program, from new kinds of hand craft to robotics.

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“we cannot solve a problem by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.”- Albert Einstein -

who is this for?SLEM’s Professional Footwear Innovation is meant for anyone who wants to

make a profitable and meaningful contribution to the future of the footwear

industry. We are looking for people who have a passion for footwear and are

highly motivated to better themselves and their environment.

A creative entrepreneurial spirit, great curiosity for the future and a willingness

to learn, work and travel in multi-cultural and multi-disciplinary teams are also

important personal assets.

Requirements:

This is a post graduate level advanced program, so we do recommend that

you either have relevant work experience or at least a bachelor degree in

design, technology or business related studies.

It is required that you have a sufficient level of English, which means that you

should be able to speak and write at a level that is equal to at least CEF C1

and preferably CEF C2, which equals an IELTS score between 7-9.

after SLEMSLEM’s Professional Footwear Innovation program prepares you to start

your own innovative footwear company - or continue the one you will have

already started during the program. Other international job profiles for alumni

include:

· innovation and/or design manager for a footwear brand· multi-disciplinary footwear designer, developer or marketer· professional footwear forecaster· footwear business and/or design consultant

SLEM also has its own talent pool for alumni, which actively proposes its

graduates for professional consulting projects. Thus far, we have a success

rate of 100%: all our alumni have a high level job or their own company in the

footwear industry.

Piles of EVA waste outside an insole factory in China; one of the issues that urgently needs a solution.

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generalinformation

selection procedure

For each edition of the program we only accept 10 candidates, so there is a selection procedure. If you would like to apply for SLEM’s Professionalof Footwear Innovation program, please follow the three steps below.

Step 1. ApplyPlease fill out the application form, which you will find on our website and follow

the instructions. All applications need to be in English. If you have prior design

experience or education, please include a digital portfolio even if it does not

contain footwear related projects.

Step 2. Answer thisAnswer ONE of the two questions on the right.

How you answer the question of your choice is up to you, as long as it is

digital: it could be an essay, a presentation with images, a video: surprise

and delight us! Keep in mind that whatever you send in should demonstrate

that you researched the topic and must explain the line(s) of thought that

inspired your answer. After you completed step 1 and 2, we will evaluate your

application and contact you if you qualify for step 3.

Step 3. InterviewThe last step is the final selection round, which is a personal conversation with

one or more of our faculty or staff. This can take place on campus or through

Skype or Google Hangout, should you live too far away to visit SLEM in person.

We run two professionalprograms per year:a spring intake (mid February) & a fall intake (mid November).There is a rolling application policy and all applications are handled in order

of arrival, so the sooner you send in your application the sooner you know if

you are accepted. If you wait too long the class might be full!

question A:With more tech companies

increasingly introducing their

products as fashion items, what

future developments do you think

would help present footwear as a

technological product?

question B:What role can footwear have in

helping solve gender equality?

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payment

The tuition for the program can be paid upfront or in three instalments. Please

note that your application is not final, and your place in the program not

confirmed, until you have paid the enrollment fee (20% of the tuition fee; 2.590

euros). Before you can move on to the next trimester, you must have paid the

tuition for that trimester. Payments can be done by bank transfer or Paypal,

we do not accept cheques.

certificate and employment

Upon successful completion of the program you will receive a SLEM

certificate, but more importantly, you will have your own company and/or

the job you have always wanted. We have an excellent track record: no

less than 100% of our alumni are working in the footwear industry in the job

they desired or have their own enterprise. Often students already receive

job offers while still in the program. You can find an overview of our alumni on

page 20 and 21. You are welcome to contact any of our alumni on LinkedIn to

ask about their experience with SLEM; just click on their names to go directly

to their profiles.

student housingAt the Waalwijk SLEM campus there is a student house right across from the

school, providing space for a maximum of eight students. It offers fully furnished

rooms with shared bathrooms, kitchen and washing machine. The cost for a

room varies between 400-650 euros per month, including electricity and Wi-Fi.

Should you want to reserve a room, please mention this in your application.

We handle requests in order of arrival.

During the China and Italy trips students will have to arrange their own housing.

SLEM will suggest options based on budget preferences.

costs

The tuition fee for SLEM’s Professional Footwear Innovation, for the duration of 9 months, is 12.950 euros. This includes 21% VAT; please note that according to Dutch law VAT also applies to foreign students, unless they follow the program on behalf of a company.

This includes:

- all classes and course materials in both the Netherlands, China and Italy

- mentoring by professionals for your graduation project

Not included are:

- housing and food in The Netherlands, China and Italy

- all travel costs for excursions, incuding the trips to China and Italy.

- visa for China and/or Europe if needed

- health and liability insurance (these are mandatory under Dutch law)

- computers and software! Please bring your own laptop (PC or Mac) with a

fully working current version of Microsoft Office* and Adobe Creative Suite**

- any extra materials you may want to purchase

* & **: we require students to have this software, but do not teach separate classes in this, since many students already have knowledge of these programs. Should you want classes in Adobe Creative Suite specifically for footwear, we can offer these in the evening or on weekends for a modest extra charge.

SLEM’s ProfessionalFootwear Innovation.Duration: 9 months Tuition fee: 12.950 euros Including 21% VAT, which might not apply to everyone!

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studenthousing

SLEM’s student house is based in a former office building on the opposite side of the town square, right across the entrance of SLEM. It is fully furnished, with spacious bedrooms and a large shared kitchen, living room and bathrooms. Because of the central location you are very close to shops, bars and restaurants.

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The interior of the Waalwijk campus is inspired by current questions about sustainability in the leather industry. It was painted in the light blue colour of chrome tanning, also called ‘wet blue’, yet all furniture is made of wood and veg tan leather.

method

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methodSLEM’s method stands out from any other because of its unique international, practical and personal approach that ensures that all our students achieve their goals.

personal development plan

As the name implies, this course is an innovation program and real innovation

takes time. That is why we maximize the time that each student has for their

own project.

As soon as students have been accepted, before the start of the program,

we enter into a series of conversations - in person or through Skype - to

determine what their dreams and goals are. These are then translated into

a Personal Development Plan (PDP). In the first three months this can be fairly

broad and can also still be changed, but after that the PDP becomes more

detailed and determines the focus of the student throughout the course.

Every student will apply each class directly to their PDP; so even though

in the same class, they each apply the acquired knowledge to their own

project.

learning what is necessary for you

Your PDP also determines which classes you will need to follow. During the

first three months the program focuses on a different subject each week.

How much you need to know of each subject, depends on your PDP and

your background. On Mondays we have the ‘knowing about’ class, which

is mandatory for all students. The rest of the week is spent on ‘knowing how’

classes, which are only mandatory if you need to have hands-on knowledge

of that subject. For instance, if you have a business background and do

not want to be a designer, you only need to follow the ‘knowing about’

class about 3D footwear design. In this class you will learn what different 3D

“our business with the futureis to improve it,not to predict it- at least not infallibly.”- Edward Cornish -

At SLEM we use various kinds of brainstorming exercises to help define future opportunities for footwear

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footwear design software packages are on the market, what they are used

for, how they compare and how much they cost, so that you know what skills

to look for when you want to hire someone for 3D shoe design.

Yet if you want to be a designer yourself, then you need to be able to

actually do 3D design for footwear, so in that case you also follow the

‘knowing how’ classes during the rest of the week. Whenever you are not

following class, you are actively working on your Personal Development Plan,

doing research and prototyping for your project.

not reinventing the wheel

The entire program has a strong practical approach, aiming to create

meaningful innovation without reinventing the wheel. In the first three months

we open your mind to all kinds of innovative thinking about footwear,

teaching you how to forecast future opportunities and discussing new

sustainable business models, designs and technologies. After that we go

to China and Italy to experience how the industry works now. This order of

events ensures that you will be able to look at the industry with an open mind,

yet with an informed view of what is already happening.

building your network

Throughout the program you continually have the opportunity to build and

increase your professional network. Several classes and seminars of the

professionalare also open to professionals. This means that your classmates

are not just your fellow full time colleagues, but also CEOs, designers,

marketing managers, retailers etc. Furthermore, classes are taught by a wide

range of international guest lecturers – all industry experts - each bringing in

a huge network of their own.

SLEM’s consulting department is involved in highly innovative projects for

companies from around the world who visit SLEM regularly and often also

meet with the students then. Sometimes students participate in consulting

projects as part of their PDP.

You will also have the opportunity to be a SLEM representative at various

international trade shows and events, where you can put yourself on the

map by speaking for and with industry professionals.

Of course you also build your network by being in three leading footwear

regions; the area around Waalwijk houses about 250 footwear companies

and we will visit the main footwear regions of both China and Italy, meeting

a wide variety of companies during excursions and after hours at social

events.

innovative social entrepreneurship

SLEM consistently stimulates innovative social entrepreneurship and enables

you to start building your own company during the program.

We imagine that in the near future most people will work on projects in

international, flexible teams of independent freelancers and entrepreneurs,

rather than having a job as an employee for just one company.

At SLEM this is the future that we are actively creating. Besides their PDP the

students work on one group project during the nine months of the program,

which requires teamwork, feedback, project and business management,

time management and professional attitude. The subject of this project is

determined by the students themselves in the first week of the program and

the result is exhibited at the SLEM museum upon graduation, alongside the

personal projects of the students.

All expertise, skills and attitude gained during the program come together in

the graduation project, which can encompass creating a new material or

manufacturing process and/or a new product or business concept that will

innovate the footwear industry in a meaningful way. The graduation project

can be for an existing company, or you can start your own company, either

by yourself or with a fellow student.

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program

SLEM functions as a think tank where you workand learn, therefore there are no typical classrooms but workspaces and labs. Based upon the activity you need to do, you choose a space to work in.

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programProfessional Footwear Innovation consists of four parts that are different in duration. The first twelve weeks take place in the Netherlands, then there are four weeks in China, two weeks in Italy and the final eighteen weeks can again be in the Netherlands or in a region that is relevant to your specific graduation project. Graduation always takes place at SLEM’s headquarters in Waalwijk.

november 21, 2016 - february 12, 2017waalwijk, the netherlands

In the first twelve weeks of the program we open your eyes to new

opportunities for the footwear industry. Each week focuses on a different

subject: forecasting, how to use our footwear and 3d printing labs, concept

development, innovative business models, sustainable business, sustainable

design, 3D design and wearable technology.

Before the start of the program we determine which classes are mandatory

for you and are relevant to your personal development plan. There will be

ample time to work on your personal project. We will also go on excursions

to several companies in The Netherlands and Belgium that are involved in

creating all kinds of meaningful innovation throughout Europe.

“the mission of design thinking is to translate observationsinto insightsand insights into products and services that will improve lives.” - Tim Brown -

The thought process is just as important as the end result; students get to sketch out their train of thought on wallpaper.

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february 13 – march 10, 2017china (various locations)

The second leg of the program takes place in the area of Guangzhou, one

of China’s largest cities and the centre of the Pearl River Delta, the region that

houses most footwear production. Here we follow an intensive four-week

program that consists of classes and company visits and focuses on all kinds

of current footwear business as well as opportunities for innovation.

After each company visit we evaluate what we have seen and how we could

possibly improve their process. The effects of pollution, climate change and

mindless consumerism are more apparent in China than in The Netherlands, so

students realise even more the importance of creating meaningful, sustainable

change.

In the first week of the program we focus on the Chinese domestic market, one

of the biggest growth markets in the world. We look at how it differs from other

markets and how it might develop in the future. We visit a range of companies,

from young Chinese designers to large online retailers.

The second week focuses on materials, from all kinds of leather, to synthetics,

textiles and outsole materials. There will be several theory classes and after

those we will visit tanneries, textile mills and outsole companies to get a

deeper insight into materials.

In the third week the emphasis will be on footwear construction, again through

both theory classes and company visits. We will go to a range of footwear

factories, from bespoke to very large scale and will look at the production of all

kinds of footwear, from sports, to casual and fashion in all price ranges.

The final week focuses on innovation, also looking outside the footwear

industry. It will partially take place in Shenzhen, China’s centre of wearable

technology, 3D printing and biotech.

Please note that you need to arrange your own visa for China before you arrive

in The Netherlands, since it can only be obtained from your home country!

“in theory, there is no difference between theory and practice.but, in practice, there is.”- Jan L. A. van de Snepscheut -

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march 28 - april 7, 2017Italy (various locations)

After the 4-week program in China all students will have two weeks to

explore further options in Asia on their own or to return home, depending on

their personal development plan. After that, we will start the third leg of the

program, which will take place at various locations in Italy.

The purpose of this final excursion is to also show a different kind of footwear

and leather production than you can experience in China, one that focuses

more on high quality and sustainability. We will visit veg tan tanneries with

state of the art water purification facilities, factories of luxury brands and

bespoke shoemakers. Yet we will also meet with a few more high-tech

partners of SLEM, such as Atomlab in Vigevano, where we will get some

classes in automation and robotics for footwear manufacturing.

april 10 - august 4, 2017anywhere in the world

In the final stage of the program you will focus full time on the personal project

that you will have been working on since the beginning. Some students

choose to start their own company, while others work on an innovative

project for an existing company. Both options are possible, as long as the

project meets SLEM’s criteria for meaningful innovation.

Where you work on your project depends on you; many students choose

to come back to SLEM’s headquarters in Waalwijk, so they can use the labs

and pick the brain of SLEM faculty, but it is also possible to return to your

home country. In that case you will be mentored online by SLEM faculty and if

needed we will get you in touch with one or more mentors from your region.

You will be required to return to Waalwijk for graduation, where you will have

to present your project to a professional jury. If your project is classified and

requires a non-disclosure agreement you will present behind closed doors

to SLEM faculty only.

“quality is remembered long after price is forgotten”.- Gucci Family Slogan -

We aim to combine the best of both worlds: high-tech and hand craft. (Image of Mario Bemer’s workshop in Florence)

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slemfaculty

At SLEM all classes are taught by renowned experts from the field and rather than having one teacher per trimester, you will have many. Here you see how Nike legend Mike Friton fascinates our students with his class in dynamic footwear materials, given on location in Hong Kong.

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nicoline van enter

SLEM is the brainchild of Nicoline van Enter, world-renowned footwear forecaster and consultant.

She is SLEM’s creative director and in charge of the

vision and contents of all departments. This means

she is responsible for the curriculum, mentors students

when possible and teaches mind blowing forecasting

classes during the first week of the program.

annaluisa franco

Annaluisa studied Fashion Design at FIT in New York and at Sapienza University in Rome, before starting her impressive career in Academia.

She is SLEM’s dean, which means she is in charge of

the daily management of the Professionalprogram,

including the application procedure and the Personal

Development Projects.

yassine salihine

Journalism, slam poetry, graphic design, industrial design, philosophy.... Yassine Salihine combines them all and then some!

Together with Nicoline he is responsible for SLEM’s

professional consulting department. He also teaches

concept development and critiques the Personal

Development Projects.

diane becker

She is a native New Yorker, but based in Florence Italy, where she headed the footwear design department at Polimoda for 10 years and worked with many leading footwear companies, such as Camper, Ferragamo, Pancaldi, Tods and Ferrari.

Diane is responsible for the excursion to Italy and is the

main advisor on the SLEM curriculum.

david hsieh

David is originally from Taiwan, but grew up in Liberia, studied footwear design in Taichung and London and worked as a designer all around Europe for companies like Adidas, Benetton and Clarks.

Now he has his own studio in Dongguan and is also

in charge of SLEM China, arranging the schedule and

teaching most of the technical classes.

mike friton

Mike Friton is a sneaker legend! He is one of the founders of Nike’s Innovation Kitchen and the man behind iconic styles such as the Nike Presto and the Nike woven.

Currently he runs his own design and prototyping

studio out of Portland and he teaches dynamic

footwear materials and non-traditional last

construction at SLEM.

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sanne van den dungen

Sanne is an expert in circular economy. She has worked for EPEA (Environmental Protection Encouragement Agency) for 4 years, supporting companies such as Puma to get Cradle to Cradle® certification.

Now she works as an independent consultant with a

focus on circular materials and agriculture and shares

her knowledge in SLEM’s classes on sustainable design.

marloes ten bhömer

Marloes is a ground breaking designer and researcher in the field of footwear. She fuses artistic and technological experiment in order to redefine shoes and to create new high-tech methods of construction.

She shares her unique approach in her classes about

concept development and sustainable design.

troy nachtigall

Troy is SLEM’s technical expert. He has a broad background in fashion and technology, from designing for Calvin Klein and Fendi to pushing the boundaries of wearable technology and 3d printing.

Currently he is getting his PhD in textile thinking, which

involves smart textiles, but still mentors students who

want to specialize in this field.

eva klabalova

SLEM attracts such high level students that they can become teachers themselves. Eva was already well trained in footwear design, hand craft and manufacturing in Czech Republic and Israel before she came to SLEM to expand her knowledge.

Now she has her own consulting company and teaches

both traditional and high-tech shoe making techniques.

daniel bailey

Daniel is the founder of the footwear design digital magazine ConceptKicks.com & co-founder of footwear design + development agency, The ConceptKicks Lab llc.

He enjoys making clean, well thought out, disruptive

design, with a focus on sustainability. Since he also

runs several of his own brands, he teaches design and

entrepreneurship at SLEM.

rené medel

René is also a SLEM alumni who became part of the faculty. He was already an expert trainer in Rhino and other 3D software, working with footwear companies in South and Middle America.

He came to SLEM to expand his knowledge on 3D

printing and is now SLEM’s regular Rhino professor,

combining footwear and 3D expertise like no other!

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slemalumni

Our students come to SLEM with big talents and big dreams. We take great pride in inspiring them to grow even further than they thought they could. All our alumni have found the work they dreamed of, after or even already during SLEM. You are welcome to ask them about their experiences!

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leon witherow

Leon had only one word on his mind when he came to SLEM: Nike. He is the biggest collector of Nike Prestos in the world and came all the way from Australia to fullfil his dream of becoming a designer for Nike.

And he did! At first Nike turned him down for a traineeship,

but then asked him to come work for them after seeing his

work for SLEM. Now he is a Nike designer in Portland!

mathieu hagelaars

Mathieu was brave enough to make the step from being a sales rep for G-Star footwear to joining SLEM to chase his dream of becoming a shoe designer.

He graduated with a great concept for a modular

upcycling kit for footwear. Now, barely two years later,

he runs his own independent design studio out of

Amsterdam, working for brands like HUB footwear.

milou van den berg

Milou already had a bachelor degree in footwear design from ArtEZ in Arnhem, but wanted to get more practical knowledge in order to land a job as a shoe designer.

Straight out of SLEM she was hired by Achten Fashion

Group, one of the largest footwear design and trading

companies in Europe, where she is now designing three

brands: LA Gear, British Knights and Vingino.

shelley lewis

Shelley had already built up a successful career as a freelance shoe designer in Israel, but wanted to learn more about forecasting and hoped to expand her network to Europe.

She graduated with a sustainable modular shoe.

She is now back in Israel, working for a variety of

companies and teaching footwear forecasting,

rachael noon

Graphic designer Rachael Noon also dreamed of working at Nike, yet during the program she found that she felt more at home on the technical and research side of the business, than as a designer.

She graduated with a professional cheerleading shoe

as part of a traineeship for Mike Friton and is now indeed

working as a concept creator for Nike Innovation.

franny odziana

Franny already had degrees in business and in textile design, but through working at Nordstroms she found out that she really wanted to work in footwear, especially to make it more sustainable.

She set out to be a technical developer for shoes, and

today she does exactly that, working internationally for

Hush Puppies.

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miller bryant

Miller had the courage to leave his job on Wall Street behind and move to Italy to learn how to make shoes. After that he found SLEM and the rest is history...

Even before he graduated he was offered a job at

Stahl - the global market leader in leather chemicals

and performance coatings - and now travels the

world to expand their relations with luxury brands.

ruben lekkerkerker

Ruben had a bachelor in Illustration, but sneakers are his real passion, so he applied for the Red Rag scholarship at SLEM and won!

Already during the first week of the program he was

inspired to create his own zero-waste sneaker brand RUIT.

Companies soon noticed his unique creative ingenuity

and now he has a very successful consulting company

called KerKerKer, working for Red Rag and others.

mansi shah

Mansi wanted to innovate the footwear business in India, especially by making comfort footwear more fashionable.

During the program she showed her determination

and graduated with a stylish yet comfortable and

functional compression shoe concept. Soon after

she was hired by Metro Shoes, one of the biggest

footwear companies in India, to join their design team.

rené medel

Rhino expert René Medel came to SLEM to learn more about 3D printing for footwear, so he could expand his 3D skills.

He graduated with a ground breaking concept to print

your own series of lasts in house, an ideal solution for

starting designers. Now he is setting up an international

innovation center for Birkenstock and teaches at SLEM

if he has the time.

john leith

John was already a highly successful entrepreneur in Australia in a completely different direction, but one day he found a gap in the men’s footwear market and took a sabbatical to come to SLEM.

He wanted to level the playing field for men and started

his own brand of hight increasing footwear called Ynot,

which will soon be introduced at London Fashion Week.

eva klabalova

Eva grew up in Zlin, surrounded by shoe factories, where she soon started working after school. She studied footwear design in Czech Republic and Israel and came to SLEM to learn more about shoe innovation.

She graduated for Atomlab in Italy, designing the first shoe

that is made by robots, and now works as a teacher for

SLEM and a successful freelance designer.

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studentwork

At SLEM we do not just do design; students get a great variety of assignments trhoughout the course. However, we do strongly believe in prototyping as a thinking and design tool, even for people who are not designers. This sneaker prototype was made by student Petra Beins within one day!

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thinking =protyping

SLEM offers all kinds of work spaces to students, from an in-house footwear factory (top right) to a print lab (top left) and a big studio (centre). The school is open as late as needed, so usually there are always people working on ideas. Even people with a business background get to learn how to enhance their thinking with quick prototyping.

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in-house manufacturing

New technologies like 3D printing open up new perspectives for local in-house manufacturing. SLEM student René Medel graduated with a very smart and cost effective system to 3D print your own lasts in PLA using a basic FDM printer. By printing the last diagonally you create a hollow shell, which you can then use to make a silicon mold with, to produce series of lasts, or you can fill it with foam and work on it directly.

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combiningtech + craft

SLEM is one of the regular participants in Craft the Leather, a veg tan leather workshop, excursion and contest for leading design schools from around the world, organized by the Consorzio Vero Cuoio from Italy. In 2015 we selected student Eva Klabalova and she came up with a spectacular new way to use veg tan outsole leather vertically, in a way that is strong enough to stand on. She added a detachable 3D printed outsole, ingeniously combining 3D printed horizontal layers with hand crafted vertical layers without using any glue.

images: sharieta berghuis

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innovativeconstruction

SLEM connects students and companies for innovative projects: this prototype of a wearable, versatile shoe with a detachable platform was designed for the 100th anniversary of German shoe company Deichmann by SLEM student Lenka Markova and was made by students of the Deutsche Schuhfachschule in Pirmasens. Together they developed an intelligent solution for the sole plate, which was then 3D printed in metal.

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made byrobots

At SLEM we push the boundaries of footwear manufacturing, so we actively investigate new methods of construction that will make production more sustainable, faster, more cost effective etc. Eva Klabalova graduated for Italian machinery manufacturer Atomlab, designing a shoe that can be made entirely by an ABB Yumi robot. She also designed the workflow, including functional 3D printed lasts, and the whole concept was recently demonstrated at the Simac show in Italy, where it astounded the professional visitors!

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advanced3d printing

A lot of students come to SLEM because of our advanced level of 3D printing. We can print fully wearable shoes and orthotics and are now exploring new areas, such as 3D printing on textiles or even to encase wearable technology, such as LED lights and sensors. We are also starting up a biolab for bioprinting technologies that can create alternatives for leather. SLEM Students - such Vito Loverre (centre) - get full freedom to use all 3D printing facilities.

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creativeupcycling

Sustainability is a very important aspect of the master. This inspired Mathieu Hagelaars to create a concept that encourages people to get creative with their shoes, recycling upper panels from their old shoes or creating new upper panels by recycling other materials that they would otherwise throw away. The panels can then be used to play with the look of the iconic, classic boot through an ingenious sole system and back loop. He presents the shoes as a complete kit, including tools and instructions.

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innovativefunctions

SLEM students are encouraged to think of new meaningful functionalities for footwear and to develop full concepts, including extensive background research, product development and marketing. This is an example by Leon Witherow, who designed sneakers for urban activists, incorporating gas masks, webcams and eye-flushing kits for tear gas victims among other useful elements that can be adjusted to their specific needs.

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footwearconstruction

Before you can innovate, you first need to understand the current situation. That is why we visit a very wide range of companies in China and Italy to understand the current state of footwear and leather production and the challenges that should be met in the future. We make sure that the companies we visit are already on the forefront of technology, so that after each visit we can brainstorm about how to improve the current situation, without reinventing the wheel.

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overwhelmingexperiences

Visiting China can be an overwhelming experience for the students, since it is not only a different culture from what they are used to, it is also a country of extremes: from having classes at the brand new Innovation Tower by Zaha Hadid at Hong Kong’s Polytechnic university, to visiting polluting factories in back streets filled with piles of garbage, and from deluxe high-fashion shopping malls to blatant copy-cat products in cheap material markets.

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presenting& networking

Learning how to present yourself and how to expand and use your network are also important aspects of the program. Students are required to present their personal projects for an audience on various occasions, for instance during our own SLEMinars and at trade shows in both Europe and China. This is a great way to meet people who can help them move further in their chosen direction. Often students have found their future employers and business partners in this way.

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regionalpartners

SLEM’s location in Waalwijk has huge advantages. Not only is it one of the main footwear hubs in Europe with about 250 shoe and leather companies, it is also part of the smartest region in the world, according to international think tank Intelligent Community Forum. The Dutch region came ahead of regions around Seoul and Silicon Valley. Logically, SLEM is partnering closely with local companies. For instance, we can use Stahl’s high-tech leather finishing lab for our classes, we can make prototypes at the factories of Greve and New Shoe Company and receive great sponsorships from PJ Klerx/Red-Rag.

ecco leather

stahl textile museum tilburg greve pj klerx

pj klerxtractus 3D new shoe company

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Design by saf~ thisissaf.com Photography by Teo Krijgsman, Wieke Hoeke & SLEM

SLEM WaalwijkRaadhuisplein 1-25141 KG WaalwijkThe Netherlands

info@slem.nlphone +31 416 757630www.slem.nl

the next SLEM professional footwear innovation course will open its doors in november 2016.

see you then!