Next year, a new, comprehensive and very practical shoemaking education will start in the US, which will enable more people to easily get into the desired place in the shoe industry without having to piece together their own education.

 

The interest in learning to make shoes and working with shoes is greater than what it has been for many years. Around the world there are many courses and people who are willing to teach the craft. The problem for many is that it’s small courses often aimed at a specific part of shoemaking, it’s difficult for those who want to get a more comprehensive education in shoe manufacturing and have a stable foundation to directly enter the industry. , just as one does when doing a university education or vocational school education. The alternatives available today are mainly a few different programmes in Tokyo, Japan, one or two in England, and one that Stefano Bemer runs in Florence, Italy.

Now a new full-time full-time education is starting for those who want to learn how to make shoes by hand from scratch, and also gain knowledge in both design and machine manufacturing, and it’s the only one of this type in the US. The driving force behind this is the Hungarian bespoke shoemaker Marcell Mrsan, who has lived and worked in the US for a number of years, where he has, among other things, had the above mentioned type of smaller courses and similar. Together with a number of bespoke shoe and bootmakers and institutions linked to the shoe industry, they will start the Center For Craft and Design – Footwear Making School, which will house in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

Marcell Mrsan will serve as a sort of head teacher, and permanent employees are also Norashley Lopez and Yaya Lee, but in addition to this, several experts in different fields will teach to really give achieve a top education. Among others bootmakers Lisa Sorrell, Greg Carmack and Paul Krause, repair shoemaker Daniel McRorie and David Ruperto with a lot of experience from factories.

Marcell Mrsan who is managing the new shoemaking school. Pictures: Footwear making school

The programme starts with a first class in September 2020, and is completed in four quarters, with the first three at the school, the last as an internship at a bespoke shoemaker or elsewhere in the shoe industry. The cost of the education is $5,300 per quarter for the three at the school, which is pretty reasonable in comparison to other similar types of educations. They are looking at solving scholarships in the future, and you can look at scholarships available from your home country etc. for this types of educations. More information and the opportunity to find a place can be found here on the school’s website.