Meet the 2022 Cordwainers Footwear Award Winners
The Cordwainers Footwear Award winners were revealed last Thursday at a ceremony held at the Clothworkers’ Hall in London.
Portfolios were submitted by students from the three footwear universities: De Montfort University, the University of Northampton and London College of Fashion.
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The judging panel this year featured several familiar faces, including FN editorial director and Fairchild Media Group chief brand officer Michael Atmore, designers Charlotte Olympia Dellal and Beatrix Ong MBE, Joachim Sedelmeier, head of design for shoes at Paul Smith, and Katie Greenyer, Pentland Brands creative director.
The evening included a keynote speech from Scott Emerson, head of footwear design at Alfred Dunhill Ltd, who shared his own footwear career journey before encouraging the students to find their own path in the industry, “We have such a fine tradition of producing world class footwear here in the U.K. and it’s up to you, to take this forward with the same skills, into the future,” Emerson said.
Another highlight of the evening was a special video message from Datuk Professor Jimmy Choo, OBE.
The 2022 winners include first place winner Sam Lilley from De Montfort University and second-place winner Dora Aradi from London College of Fashion. The sustainability award was received by Jasmin Lancaster from London College of Fashion. A third London College of Fashion student, Swann Phelippeau, won a special commendation award.
“Winning the Cordwainers Footwear Awards is incredible,” said Lilley. “Whilst the prize money is phenomenal, the exposure and association with the Cordwainers is fantastic, as it’s by far the top award!”
The Cordwainers Footwear Awards were established in 2014 to support the future of the industry by celebrating and encouraging young footwear talent. The Cordwainers award prizes worth £12,000 every year and organize mentoring with industry leaders for the award winners. Previous winners, including Helen Kirkum, Meta Cunder and Ganor Dominic, are making their mark in the industry, having used their prize money to fund further education in footwear design, or start their own footwear design businesses.
“Being involved in the Cordwainers Footwear Awards is a rewarding creative light and gives me hope that the future is in the hands of extraordinary talent,” Greenyer added.
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