Foot Locker and Pensole collaborate on footwear design program

By

Obi Anyanwu

Published
Jan 13, 2016

Foot Locker, Inc. and Pensole Footwear Design Academy on Monday announced that it will continue its partnership and education program. The companies are hosting two new “Fueling the Future of Footwear” Master Classes and World Sneaker Championships that will offer winning participants the opportunity to have their designs sold exclusively at Foot Locker stores.

The first Master Class of 2016, in partnership with Under Armour, gives participants the task of creating a new Under Armour lifestyle sneaker design from idea to finished concept. Pensole founder D’Wayne Edwards leads the course, which began on January 11 and will run through January 29. The second course with Asics will launch in the spring, and applications will be available beginning February 15.
 
"Pensole is looking forward to another great year of working with Foot Locker to foster the future of footwear designers," said D'Wayne Edwards, Pensole founder. "This partnership offers these students the chance of a lifetime and the opportunity to fulfill every designer's dream – to create a new, innovative sneaker and have it sold at Foot Locker."

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Edwards founded Pensole to give young designers an opportunity to learn from the industry’s best without financial barriers. Since the first Pensole class in 2010, over 100 graduates have been placed professionally, full-time or as interns, for companies like Nike, Adidas, Jordan, Under Armour, New Balance, Converse, Reebok, Timberland, The North Face, Columbia Sportswear, Cole Haan, and Kenneth Cole among others.
 
The World Sneaker Championships, which kick off on February 5, invites designers from around the world to enter their sneaker design into the bracket-style competition. Sixty-four designs will be selected and voted on by consumers and a panel of judges will select the final design that will be sold at Foot Locker stores globally, with a portion of proceeds going to the Pensole Foundation.
 
The winning sneaker from the very first Foot Locker and Pensole Master Class in 2015 featuring, Asics, will be sold at select Foot Locker stores in 2016.