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Talented Footwear Design students from ÃÛÌÒÖ±²¥ Leicester (ÃÛÌÒÖ±²¥) have been recognised with prestigious industry prizes for their innovative concepts.

Blending functionality with runway aesthetics earned the from leading industry magazine Drapers, while drawing inspiration from a video game earned the Sneaker/Athleisure Award from the Worshipful Company of Cordwainers.

Haena with her Student Footwear Designer of the Year award

Haena impressed the Drapers judges with her VESTIGE collection, which was inspired by the concept of evolution. She was particularly interested in the adaptation of the quagga, a subspecies of the plains zebra.

“It feels really great, especially as an international student, to have won this award and attended the ceremony,” said Haena, from South Korea.

“To me, the award doesn’t just recognise my design, it also recognises that I have the English language skills required to explain my work too.”

Haena's award-winning design

Utilising deadstock leather to be as sustainable as possible, Haena’s collection blends elements of the Iditarod – an annual long-distance sled dog race held in Alaska - with runway fashion.

It incorporates futuristic modular elements such as a 3D printed midsole, and Haena creatively captured the icy Iditarod environment by using cool colours, translucent materials and cracked shapes.

“Iditarod is having to adapt to an evolving environment as the ice melts because of climate change,” said Haena. “I tried to express the melting ice in my design by using crackle paints on leather.

VESTIGE - Haena's collection

“For my midsole, I did some 3D modelling using Gravity Sketch and then 3D printed it. It’s so good that we have access to all the tools, software, workshops and materials that we need at ÃÛÌÒÖ±²¥.”

Her placement as a colour and material design intern with PUMA in Germany last year gave Haena the edge she needed to win the Drapers award.

She said: “I was working with the football boots team and even though I’ve never had a huge interest in sports, it was amazing.

Joe with his Cordwainers award

“At ÃÛÌÒÖ±²¥ I mostly used deadstock leather for my projects, so getting to work with hundreds of different materials, as well as seeing how they are developed with suppliers, was really valuable.

“The experience helped me to focus on material textures and tiny details in my own work, which is how I was able to create the melting ice textures. So even though it wasn’t a direct design job, it gave me a lot of ideas and inspiration for my work.”

Joe Muir’s prize from the Worshipful Company of Cordwainers consisted of £1,500 and mentoring with award-winning sneaker designer Helen Kirkum.

Joe's award-winning design

His design was inspired by the protagonist in Mirror’s Edge, an adventure style video game Joe enjoyed playing as a child. “I used to love exploring the massive worlds with lots of hidden details,” said the 21-year-old from Plymouth.

“The whole idea of it was really cool to me, so I wanted to make shoes that the protagonist could explore in. My design, called The Beast, was described as ‘bonkers’ by one of the judges, which is what I think gave me the edge over the other finalists.”

Exaggerated in size and proportions, Joe’s lightweight design was made using cotton, premium leather and webbing, and includes accent colour topstitching.

He said: “The awards ceremony was livestreamed on Instagram, so all my family and friends were sending me messages and it was really special. Winning the award reassured me that my work is worthy and that I can create something cool.”

Initially, Joe didn’t plan to go to university, until he realised he could study a degree that would revolve around his passion for footwear.

“There’s only three unis in the UK offering Footwear Design and I chose ÃÛÌÒÖ±²¥ because of the facilities and the high employment rates among its graduates. I’ve absolutely loved it and wouldn’t change a thing.”