The Worshipful Company of Cordwainers, one of the oldest London livery
companies, is a major supporter of the upcoming Victoria and Albert
Museum (V&A) exhibition Shoes: Pleasure and Pain. The Cordwainers
Company will also be hosting the second National Footwear Student of the
Year Award ceremony in the wonderful surroundings of the V&A on 18 June
2015.
The Company will be working on a media campaign to raise the profile
of the Cordwainers Company in the lead up to the opening of the V&A
exhibition and the Awards ceremony.
The Cordwainers has a strong charitable ethos and as a world leader in the
education and support of the shoe industry, their primary focus is to nurture
young talent, providing bursaries to students and entrepreneurs enabling
them to become top shoe designers.
The Company is thrilled to support Shoes: Pleasure and Pain, 13 June 2015 – 31
January 2016, which looks at the extremes of footwear from around the
globe.
Following on from the success of the inaugural Cordwainers’ Footwear
Student of the Year competition last year, footwear students from the three
leading footwear design schools, De Montfort University, University of
Northampton and London College of Fashion – University of the Arts have
been invited to enter the Cordwainers’ Company National Footwear Student
of the Year Competition 2015.
The Company has spearheaded this national award, as it is a wonderful
opportunity for the Cordwainers to lend the excellence and prestige of their
livery company to the very best in British footwear design. The prizes ranging
from £5,000 to £1,000 will be presented to the winners at the V&A on 18 June.
www.cordwainers.org
Picture credit: Shoesofallages
L-R Ladies elastic-sided ankle boot c. 1870; prize-winning lace leather ankle boot, c. 1870; gold evening shoe L K Bennett; evening shoe Jimmy Choo Couture.
