ECCO and Design School Kolding
continue partnership
Tomorrow's shoe design should originate from Design School Kolding. Therefore, the school is setting up a programme in shoe design together with ECCO with the objective to attract students from around the world. The programme will be included in the Accessory Design programme launching in September.
Selling 20 million pairs of shoes annually ECCO brings substantial know-how to the collaboration while Design School Kolding students will challenge and inspire the processes of innovation and design.
”We greatly appreciate the agreement which provides us with a unique framework for allowing our students to work with shoe design. Thanks to ECCO we are able to ensure an ambitious development of talent of a new generation of shoe designers: a development which will also benefit ECCO in the form of new perspectives for product development and with it increased growth in the Region of Southern Denmark for years to come," says Rector of Design School Kolding Elsebeth Gerner Nielsen.
Innovation at the centre
The partnership agreement between the school and ECCO gives the students excellent conditions for unfolding their talent and valuable insight into the shoe industry - even at BA level. ECCO also has high expectations for the partnership:
”Innovation is one of ECCO's core values and we look forward to a rewarding collaboration in terms of design and innovation focusing on anything from materials to form and construction. Furthermore the collaboration allows us to be close to the shoe designers of tomorrow," says Jakob Møller Hansen, Vice President R&D and Design.
As part of the partnership agreement Design School Kolding is setting up a shoe and last workshop for instance for producing prototypes. In addition Ejnar Truelsen will be appointed affiliate professor and students who display a particular gift for shoe design will have the chance to receive scholarships and work as interns.
The agreement is planned to expire end 2016.
Agreement headlines:
-Possibility for students to draw on ECCO's know-how in terms of craft and business
-Access to ECCO's workshop facilities in Tønder and Bredebro
-Feedback from ECCO on student projects
-Scholarship for students with a special gift for shoe design
-Possibility for students to exhibit their works at Design School Kolding international events and ECCO touring exhibitions
About ECCO
ECCO was founded in 1963 and is one of the leading manufacturers of quality shoes. The company success builds on quality and innovation combining style and comfort in a simplistic Scandinavian design. As one of the few within the industry ECCO owns the entire value chain from their own tanneries to shops. ECCO's products are sold in 87 countires from 2,989 ECCO shops and shop-in-shops and from a total of 15,000 places of sales across the world. ECCO is family-owned and has 18,500 employees.
Learn more on ecco.com
About Design School Kolding
Design School Kolding is an international institution of higher education and offers design training on BA, MA, and PhD levels. Lines of study are: Industrial Design, Fashion & Textiles and Communication Design (Graphic, illustration, and interaction). The school has many international alliances and attaches great importance to collaboration with industry. In September the school will launch a new Accessory Design programme focusing on shoes, bags and fur design. Already however, Industrial Design and Fashion & Textiles students are offered training in the art of shoe design.
For more information please contact:
Charlotte Melin, Head of Press, Design School Kolding, +45 4086 5157 or Malene Emilie Severinsen, Communication Specialist, ECCO, +45 7491 1222
