Footwear News and Nine West “Shoe Star” Competition Episode 1

Who has what it takes to become the footwear industry’s next up-and-coming designer? Footwear News & Nine West, with the Fashion Institute of Technology, are putting 7 designers to the test in the 1st Shoe Star contest. The contestants were chosen from the school’s accessories design seniors after a rigorous judging process by the FN staff. Over the next 6 months, the 7 finalists compete against each other in a series of 6 challenges testing their ability to create innovative designs that will keep them in the running to win the ‘08 Shoe Star title. A panel of industry professionals, including FN’s editorial director Michael Atmore, Nine West’s creative director Fred Allard, FIT’s professor and chairperson of the accessories design program Ellen Goldstein and a rotating list of celebrity judges, will critique each challenge, eliminating one contestant each round until the winner is announced at the Fashion Footwear Association of New York’s tradeshow in June. In addition to the ‘08 Shoe Star title, the winner will gain a spot on the Nine West design team to work on the spring ’09 footwear, handbags and accessories collections. As the contest progresses, FN will be documenting it online and in print, while Ninewest.com will feature video highlights from each week’s judging round. These 7 student designers have secured a place in the competition, but only one of them will become the next Shoe Star.