2018 Design Summit Agenda
8:15 – 9:00 am: Arrival and Coffee
9:00 – 9:15 am: Welcome and Introductions
Matt Priest, President and CEO, FDRA
Andy Polk, Senior VP, FDRA
9:15 – 9:45 am: How To Design Around High Customs
John Pellegrini, FDRA Customs Counsel
9:45 – 10:15 am: Setting the Stage with the Footwearists
Nicoline van Enter, The Footwearists
10:15 – 11:15 am: Design for Manufacturing
Round table discussion with experts and the audience: Manufacturing methods for footwear have changed quite rapidly over the past years, showing a much higher level of automation that has led to new constructions and materials, such as the surge in knitted uppers. Speakers in this section explain how designers can adjust their design process to incorporate these technologies, even if they do not have direct access to factories. They will also talk about how knowledge of the manufacturing process cannot just save time and money and increase quality, but will also enhance creativity.
Wade Motawi, The Sneaker Factory (click here for presentation)
Jordi Montaner, K-Tech
Eva Klabalov, Cave Footwear (click here for CAVE video)
Elias Gröndal, FindSourcing (click here for presentation)
11:15 – 11:45 am: COFFEE BREAK
11:45 am – 12:05 pm: 3D vs 3D vs 3D vs 3D – Using Innovative Technologies to Design for the Future
Brendon Marczan, Product Manager, Foundry
12:05 – 1:00 pm: Design Beyond Borders
Round table discussion with experts and the audience: The rise of Asia and the Middle East as the main growth markets for footwear creates new opportunities and challenges for designers. It opens up a new job market, but also demands different knowledge, since these markets have their own style, culture and retail structure. Speakers in this section explain what it is like to work as a designer for companies abroad, what the main differences are between these markets and western markets from the perspective of design and how you can build a diverse design team to best target these markets.
D’wayne Edwards, Pensole Footwear Design Academy
Omar Bailey, Omar Bailey Footwear
Jordi Montaner, K-Tech (click here for presentation)
1:00 – 2:00 pm: LUNCH BREAK
2:00 – 3:30 pm: Designing a Better World
Discussions about design for sustainability often seem to center on the question: “How can we be compliant?” Even though that is very important, it can also unnecessarily narrow your vision on the opportunities for green design. Instead of mainly focusing on which substances should NOT be used in your products, you could make even bigger strides by redesigning your product development strategy and process as such. This could save time and costs, greatly improve your carbon footprint and create much more engaging stories for the consumer. Speakers in this section, from both inside and outside the shoe industry, will share how they made their product development system as green as possible.
2:00 – 2:20 pm: Introduction by Tiffany Beers, Footwear Innovation Advisor, FDRA
2:20 – 2:40 pm: Mike Friton, Friton Design
2:40 – 3:00 pm: Sanne van den Dungen, EPEA (click here for presentation)
3:00 – 3:30 pm: Group Discussion and Q&A
3:30 – 4:00 pm: COFFEE BREAK
4:00 – 5:30 pm: Digital Directions and Design for Customization
Whether you are still exploring which 3D design packages might provide the best workflow for your product and budget, or you are a digital design pro looking to push the boundaries of virtual prototyping or even parametric design systems, this section will bring you the answers you need! Customization seems to be the buzzword for design nowadays, but what does that actually mean? Will consumers really want to design their own shoes from scratch, or should professional designers create smart systems that enable people to tweak designs to their personal preferences yet within a clever framework that makes everyone happy? Speakers in this section will explain how to design your collections with customization in mind while avoiding a logistics, budget or branding nightmare.
4:00 – 4:15 pm: Chris Hillyer, Director of Innovation, Deckers Brands, on the Material Exchange
4:15 – 4:35 pm: Safir Bellali, VF Corporation (click here for presentation)
4:35 – 4:55 pm: Troy Nachtigall, Solemaker, and Nicoline van Enter, The Footwearists
4:55 – 5:25 pm: Group Discussion and Q&A
5:30 pm: CLOSING
